


The Master and The God

by KatieKat1321 (Koreabookitty)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Post-Avengers (2012), plus size reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 23:00:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 36,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17569556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Koreabookitty/pseuds/KatieKat1321
Summary: You are a Master of the Mystic Arts who was in charge of Asgardian guests on Earth, after the Battle of the New York you go to Asgard to keep a closer watch on Loki and help prevent a terrible future you can feel is coming.A/N: I’m trying to make this pretty canon compliant, but some things will probably get adjusted to fit my timeline better





	1. The Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this series. Updates will be irregular, but I promise that this story does have an end in sight! Maybe around 20 or 25 chapter I'm guessing at the moment.
> 
> **Also, it has come to my attention that some of the non-verbal communication between Loki and the reader character is not italicized as it is supposed to be. I will be figuring out the best way to manually fix that, but for the moment I do not have time so, I will just apologize and wish you luck in differentiating what should and should not be said aloud!

“Are we just supposed to stand by and let them suffer?” you asked the Ancient One. You watched as Chitauri soldier descended upon New York City through a portal from within the New York Sanctum. She simply nodded in response. “This is madness,” you whispered.

“All will be fine young master, you needn’t worry,” the Ancient One replied, “I’ve seen this coming, they will be defeated. The avengers will prevail.”

“But people are dying and getting hurt, we could help! We can end this faster if we help the Avengers! We should at least go and help people get out safely! We-” You wanted to say more, but the Ancient One held up a hand. You watched as she went into a trance, you knew she was checking the different outcomes of the scenario.

The Ancient One took a deep breath and looked at you with an unreadable expression on her face. “I cannot interfere at this time. I recommend that you do not as well. I saw multiple futures and few end with you alive y/n.”

“I understand… but my one life is not worth more than all of those in danger in New York,” you said as you hurried out of the New York sanctum and back to Kamar-Taj to your room. You grabbed your sling ring and your weapon, the staff of the living tribunal, before heading back to the door leading to the New York sanctum. You stopped in front of the Ancient One and nodded to her.

“I wish you the best young master y/n. You will always be welcome in Kamar-Taj,” she said as she put your hood up. “And if I were you… I would head to Stark Tower,” She said with a wink as she opened a portal for you to leave through. When you stepped onto the roof top of Stark tower you saw a device that was controlling the portal and a man who was knocked out. You considered stopping him but remembered your purpose was to protect people while the Avengers did what they came to do. You looked down to see a balcony where the two Norse Gods Thor and Loki fought. The moment Thor had come to Earth and landed in New Mexico a while back you had been tasked with keeping tabs on him. When the Warriors Three and Lady Sif appeared, you added them to your list until eventually the Ancient One just assigned you to keep tabs on all Asgardian visitors that may show up.

You watched Loki shoot at quinjet hovering nearby, it was going to crash so you tried to help them make a safe landing by creating a forcefield of sorts around it, but it soon was flown out of site as the pilot tried to find an open place to land.

That’s when you heard the deep grow; coming from the portal. A large Chitauri… space monster? you thought to yourself, unsure of what that… thing was exactly. As it came down towards the buildings it started crashing through windows of tall office skyscraper buildings and you jumped into action, creating a portal to the nearest building. When you appeared in the large open space filled with cubicals it was chaos. People were screaming in panic and fear, and you couldn’t blame them. They were on the twentieth floor and there were aliens attacking, the situation called for madness. And apparently the sudden appearance of a hooded figure holding a staff didn’t do anything to calm anyone.

“Listen, you all need to head down and get underground!” You tried to tell the, but they were all too busy panicking and yelling to listen. You sighed and held the staff of the living tribunal in front of you with one hand, you grabbed it with the other and stretched it out before cracking it like a whip. There were a few screams as people turned, looking for the cause of the sound. “You need to get out of here and get underground. Gather everyone you see and get out of this building!”

Just as people started listening and following your orders Chitauri soldiers burst through the windows. You put the staff into a holster attached to your hip and created your own weapon with your magic to fight them off. Once you had defeated the Chitauri in that building and you saw that the floor had cleared out you moved to the next building, hoping you could trust the people to get themselves out safely.

After helping a few buildings full of people to safety you saw Loki taking a lap around the city on one of those Chitauri chariots. You had to make a move and it had to be a bold one. You decided that Stark tower was the safest building in the city at the moment since even the alien soldiers weren’t dumb enough to destroy the building that was allowing their portal to exist. You sat down behind a wall to hide your body and went into astral form to chase after Loki.

You made it to his chariot, which was quite a feat considering the speed it was flying at. You had to grip onto something to stay on. “Loki,” you started as you revealed yourself to him.

“What the-?” He startled as he looked at your transparent form barely hanging on, “What the hell? What is this magic?” He was too busy shooting at Black Widow to spare you much more than that short glance.

You rolled your eyes and grabbed onto him instead to steady yourself and stand behind him, “I’m a master of the mystic arts. I’ve been watching over you and your brother since you arrived on Earth. This chaos has to end now, you need to stop this!”

“You don’t think I know that? This is a bit much, even for me… but things are too far gone as it is for me to stop. The only way is the scepter…” He replied.

“There is an arrow coming in on your left,” You said as you returned to the roof Stark Tower. Yeah, you knew the chariot was going to blow, but Loki kind of deserved it. He clearly showed some remorse, but he created this mess. It is only fair he get hurt a little too along the way.

You saw the man from before was starting to awaken, you used a spell to help him remember what had happened while he was mind controlled. At this point, you wish you had stepped in when you saw that Loki had arrived when he was escaping the S.H.I.E.L.D facility. Many lives could have been saved, but this was the best you could do now.

You then returned to your body, getting up to see the tail end of Hulk flinging Loki around by the ankle like a rag doll, smashing him into the floor. After Hulk left you came over to sit next to Loki. “So… That was pretty embarrassing,” You said with a laugh.

Loki looked at you, but just continued to moan in pain softly. You rolled your eyes before raising your hand to do a simple healing spell. He finally stopped moaning and gave you a questioning look. Shrugging, you replied, “You’re no good to anyone if your dead”.

“Oh, why thank you Miss…?” He replied sarcastically.

“Y/n,” you replied, “They will be closing the portal soon, thanks for the tip about the scepter. Why did you even do all this Loki? This is not mischief or lies, this is destruction and murder.”

He looked away, deciding how to respond, “Would you believe me if I said it was all a younger sibling complex?”

You laughed as you helped him sit up. You wanted to say more because you knew this wasn’t what he had planned or wanted. You knew there was more to his story. That this was just a start of something bigger and so much worse, but you felt the Avengers heading up to collect Loki. “I have to go now, but I will be in touch soon,” you said, quickly making a portal that would take you back to the New York sanctum and closing it before anyone else besides Loki would notice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter please leave a kudos or subscribe! I also love reading comments! Knowing what people are enjoying helps me to know what direction to take the story in when I get stuck and I love reading what people have to say!


	2. Astral Plane

As soon as you made it back to the New York sanctum you went straight through the door to Kamar-Taj. You had a few minor injuries to tend to and you knew you definitely had some Chitauri blood, or whatever kept those things alive, in your hair. After showering you headed to the medic room to bandage a few cuts and then headed to the library.

There you found Master Mordo reading a book written in Sanskrit. “Hello Master y/n,” he said as you plopped down in the seat next to him, not even looking up from his book.

“How many times do I have to tell you to just call me y/n?” you asked shoving him a little. You made a portal to grab a book off a shelf on the other side of the room. It was about the Norse gods, written by masters who lived long ago. This was not a book of myths, but a journal documenting Odin’s interactions with Earth. After the Jotuns terrorized the planet the sorcerer supreme of that time had made a deal with Odin. Masters were sent from around the globe to help Asgardian forces and once the battles were over Earth was to be left out of such matters. Odin cut Jotunheim’s connection to the other nine realms and made Asgardian visits to Earth few and far between.

That is until New Mexico. You wondered what your next move should be. It was obvious that Thor would be taking Loki back to Asgard for his crimes, but you weren’t sure if you should go to see Loki before then. You really had no need to, your mission was just to protect the people of New York from the situation you let get out of hand. You were just supposed to be watching Asgardian visitors, but you felt oddly drawn to Loki. You felt like something bigger was going on.

“You should just go see him,” Baron said. You gave him a questioning look to which he sighed and closed his own book. “You’ve been staring at that picture of Loki for around 20 minutes. We all heard that you went against the Ancient One to fight in New York,” he said.

“Woah, woah, woah!” you interrupted, “She didn’t forbid it… she just highly suggested I not go. But everything was fine, I just got a few scratches.”

“Go see him, I can see it in your eyes,” he says with a wink, “You’re thinking your questions so loudly I can practically hear them.”

“I don’t know what you’re suggesting Baron… But the issue is bigger than us. I feel like something is going to happen, something I don’t think can be prevented and going to speak with Loki for a few hours before Thor returns him to Asgard is not enough time.” I said as you rose from you seat and actually walked over to put the book back. “I’m actually considering going and speaking with Thor. As this involved Earth I feel we masters have a right to question him.”

“For now, just go to him y/n, he wishes to see you too,” Baron says as he leaves the library, not giving you the chance to question or yell at him.

After an hour of going back and forth, trying to convince yourself not to do anything foolish you found yourself at the facility they were holding Loki in. You can’t just ring the doorbell and ask to see Loki y/n… I didn’t think this through, you thought to yourself as you crouched in a bush. You hated the idea of leaving your body outside in a bush, but your only option of getting in there and talking to Loki is to not let anyone else know you’re there.

You went into the astral plane again and entered the facility to find Loki. You passed the Avengers, who were discussing going out to eat shawarma, and eventually you found Loki sitting in a cage. His arms and legs shackled and a muzzle of sorts on his mouth. That is going to make getting answers a bit difficult, you mused to yourself.

“Lie down and pretend to go to sleep,” you whispered into Loki’s ear. He startled a bit and quickly looked around trying to find you, however you hadn’t revealed yourself to him just yet. He tried to say something, but the muzzle prevented you from understanding him. “Relax, I need to talk to you and for that to happen these guards are going to need to think you’re asleep.”

Loki seemed to consider his options before lying down and following instructions. After a few minutes he hears you speak again. “I’m going to force your astral form out of your physical form,” you say as you lay a hand on his chest and push with your energy. It takes much more power to do this outside of your physical body you silently take note.

“Who are you?” Loki asks immediately, “who taught you to do these things. Where did you learn such magic?”

You look at him again and simply laugh. “I don’t think you are really in the position to be asking questions,” you say pointedly looking at his restrained body. “Why did you come to Earth?”

He is silent for a moment before he pulls out a knife and stabs you, trying to make a run for it. You double over in surprise before wrangling him and forcing him back into his body which awakes with a start. “We are going to try this again. But be warned, my patience is starting to run thin,” you whisper in his ear again.

He nods absentmindedly and lies down again. You force out his astral form again and immediately slap him. “Don’t try that shit again. Why did you come to Earth?”

“I was sent to invade Midgard, to weaken the planet from someone else. I was just the beginning.” He responded.

“Who?” you pushed.

“I didn’t truly realize what was going to happen. Things went too far.” He said softly, more to himself.

“You’re not going to tell me are you?” You said, sitting on the floor.

“Believe me, the less you know of him the better and safer this world is wizard.”

You laughed again, “I’m not a wizard, I’m a master of the mystic arts. My job is to protect my planet from you, clearly I didn’t do so well…” you said with a sigh.

“Don’t feel bad darling, I’m notably problematic wherever I go.” Loki said as he floated around his cell.

“Wait,” you said, realizing an interesting discrepancy, “how do you not know of Earth’s masters?”

“Well there is no record of you on Asgard, you must be a quite secret organization… or very unimportant,” Loki replied simply. You nodded, but made note to bring this up later when speaking with the Ancient One.

“When will you be leaving?” You asked.

Loki smirked, “eager to be rid of me?”

“Quite the opposite actually. I have this feeling,” you said, trying to find the words to explain yourself, “Like a premonition that things will only get worse from here and I fear that you will be at the center of these problems.”

Loki considered this for a moment. Clearly this mortal is not average, she could be useful. “I’m flattered, really. I’ve been told we leave in two days,” Loki admitted before lying back down and rejoining his physical body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter please leave a kudos or subscribe! I also love reading comments! Knowing what people are enjoying helps me to know what direction to take the story in when I get stuck and I love reading what people have to say!


	3. Director Fury

Your talk with Loki gave you a few interesting pieces of information, but not nearly as much as you hoped for. However, one particular thing piqued your interest, why would Odin not mention Earth’s Masters in their history? Once rejoining with your body, you made a portal back to Kamar-Taj and headed to the Sorcerer Supreme.

“Ancient One,” you called out as soon as you saw her. She was walking away with a new student whose name you couldn’t remember.

“Be on your way Kaecilius,” she said to him before turning to you. “What did he tell you young master y/n?”

Sometimes you forgot she could see the future and was therefore rarely unaware of what all the masters and students were up to. “A few things, but very little detail. Loki was sent here by someone else. I would guess someone more powerful than him. Loki seems to regret his actions.”

She considered this for a moment, “But you are not satisfied with this?”

“No,” you replied, not missing a beat. “You know I’m not. Something bigger is coming and I fear locking Loki away in Asgard is not the best course of action. Can you see who sent him? Or tell me if what I fear is true?”

The Ancient One didn’t reply, she simply turned around and walked to the library where the Eye of Agamoto was kept. You watched her put it on and view alternate futures. You noticed she seemed frustrated, the frown on her face deepening before she removed the Eye. “I’m afraid I cannot see who sent Loki. The threat you fear is not something I will ever know.”

“What do you mean? Does that mean there is no threat?” You asked.

The Ancient One shook her head, “no. I feel you may very well be right. However… it will not come in my lifetime.”

You cocked your head to the side, “I don’t understand?”

“My time nearing. I have alluded death for many lifetimes. But like the Asgardians, I am not immortal Young Master,” she replied walking out to the courtyard to watch students training in one-on-one combat.

You tried to process this information, but still followed closely behind. “I-I see… Then I definitely need to know more. If we are going to have to fight this without you the more we know, the better we can prepare for what is to come. I need to be able to go with Thor and Loki when they return to Asgard.”

The Ancient One looked at you for a moment, deep in thought before coming to a conclusion. She was unsure if this would lead you down the right path, but it was the one you adamantly wanted to take. “I may know someone who can help… come with me,” she said as she made a portal into what looked like a hallway in a high-security military base.

“Hey, who are you? How did you get in here?” I voice called out before someone else turned the corner.

Calmly, the Ancient One smiled at him, “Director Fury, it has been quite a while hasn’t it?”

“Stand down Hill,” the man, Fury, replied, “It’s just an old friend who never learned how to knock.”

Director Fury led both of you into a small conference room, “So, you are a bit late to the party.”

“Hey, I was out there too! Protecting the innocent people while the Avengers handled the alien mess,” you said defensively.

He gives you a once over before replying, “I don’t believe we’ve meet.” He then looked back to the Ancient One and says, “why are you here?”

The Ancient One held up a hand in front of you to stop you, “What my student means to say is that we knew you could handle it. We saw that this battle would end with your victory. However, that is not exactly why we are here. I’ve heard word Loki and Thor will be returning to Asgard soon. Master y/n wishes to accompany them.”

“And what makes you think I will agree, oh Ancient One?” Fury asks.

“You owe me a favor, and this favor actually works in your favor. Master y/n is one of my best. She feels worse battles are ahead and would like to prevent them from coming to fruition. And, you get a contact in Asgard that will be more reachable than Thor,” the Ancient One replies as she opens a small portal back to Kamar-Taj and pulls out a cup of tea.

Director Fury considers her words and nods. “I’ll need to test you a bit,” he finally says, looking at you, “but I think this could work. I think we can pass you off as a S.H.I.E.L.D. diplomat. Get packed up and be back here in an hour.”

You nod and make your leave with the Ancient One. Once returning to Kamar-Taj you pack up your limited belongings which consist of a few outfits, your late mother’s ring, a few books you had made copies of from the library, two spare sling rings, and the Staff of the Living Tribunal which you morphed into a cane to make it more inconspicuous. You also changed into a more casual outfit. The hooded dress with bell sleeves might blow my cover a tad, you thought to yourself with a laugh.

You headed out to the central courtyard to say your goodbyes. The Ancient One reminded you the oath you were heading down was dangerous and told you to trust Heimdall if anything were to go wrong. You thanked her before leaning in to whisper, “I wish you well Ancient One, and hope you are still Sorcerer Supreme when I return.” Then you made a portal back to the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier to meet with Director Fury.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter please leave a kudos or subscribe! I also love reading comments! Knowing what people are enjoying helps me to know what direction to take the story in when I get stuck and I love reading what people have to say!


	4. Back Story

When you stepped through the portal and into the conference room on the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier Nick Fury was waiting for you. He turned on his heel and spoke as he walked away, you assumed you were meant to follow him. “Okay, we don’t have much time to test you, work on your cover story, get you into the system, and send you off with the Gods so let’s get moving,” he explained.

He brought you to what looked like a cargo hold. It was a bit torn apart, crates smashed, and their contents scattered, but the walls and floor were still there so it seemed to have been strong enough to withstand whatever it had already been through.

There was no warning given; Fury turned around, cocked his gun, and fired it at you. You barely had time to create a small shield to block it. When the next bullet came you were more prepared, you formed a portal that shot the bullet back at him, just inches from his head. This continued on for a few more minutes, until he seemed satisfied with your blocking and defensive techniques.

“Okay,” Fury started, placing his gun back in its holster, “now show me what you can really do.”

If you were going to fight with your magic, you thought it best to be done in the mirror dimension. With a quick movement of your hands the world around you looked like shards of glass. Fury looked surprised, which based on what you had seen of him already was probably very uncommon. You smirked a bit as rotated the world, so the wall was now the floor, just to throw Fury off his game. Then you pulled out the Staff of the Living Tribunal, stretching it out and whipping it in a figure eight pattern. You could feel the relic humming with magical energy and you started your attack. You had to admit Fury was pretty quick and still had a few of his own tricks up his sleeve. After a few good hits you stashed the staff back in its own holster before creating weapons with your magic. You wanted to let Fury know you didn’t need your relic to be a formidable opponent, but eventually you grew bored with that tactic.

Fury was honestly impressed by what you could do. He was about to call it quits and announce that you had his seal of approval when he saw a shift in your eyes, they glowed a fiery orange for a split second while you mumbled something in another language. Fury watched you shoot both hands out in front of you suddenly and he was forced onto his knees, as if you made gravity pull on him stronger. They came the burning, it wasn’t unbearable. He could tell you were holding back, but it wasn’t burning his skin, it was like he was burning from the inside, like there was acid in his veins. Then it just stopped, you had put your arms down and walked up to him, offering to help him up.

When you offered your hand, you sent a little healing spell to him to ease his body, normally people weren’t used to mystic attacks like that.

“I’ll admit,” Fury started as stood up and brushed himself off, “that was impressive. You’re very strong, if only you had been fighting Loki instead of clearing out buildings. The fight would have ended a lot sooner.”

You frowned at that and decided not to mention that you had gone to Loki during the fight. Yes, you helped Professor Selvig, but you could have restrained Loki or stepped in sooner. The thought that you should have stepped in the moment you sensed that Loki arrived had been eating at you. You still weren’t sure why you didn’t. No matter how hard you pushed that thought to the back of your mind it would crawl its way back to the forefront.

You shook your head and smiled, pushing the thoughts away yet again, “The Ancient One taught us to not dwell on the past. We should worry more about what is to come.”

Fury agreed and brought you back to the conference room to create your cover story. “S.H.I.E.L.D. has learned that if you create a story for someone else, they don’t always stick to it,” Fury said with a sigh as he referenced the whole I am Iron Man mess, “And we’ve also found that having a story rooted in truth is easier for people to remember. So, tell me, how did you end up at Kamar-Taj?”

You sensed Director Fury was telling the truth, but that he also wanted more information on you. You knew any background checks on you would bring back little information and because Fury was one of the world’s best spies, not being knowing more about you and being able to infer your motivations and actions frustrated him.

“I ended up at Kamar-Taj for the same reason as many people, for healing,” you began, “I had knee problems from a very young age. The muscles and tendons didn’t work together, and my knee cap wasn’t in the right place. They dislocated a lot and caused me to break some other bones. I was in wheelchairs and physical therapy for a lot of my youth. However, I managed to live my life, I traveled and studied abroad, I went to college, studying intercultural relations and psychology, and nearly finished my degree. Then one day there was an accident. I was rear-ended and the accident… it crushed my knees. The doctors had to do an extreme reconstruction surgery and they thought it would help me in the long run. They reconstructed everything, the knee cap, the ligaments, the whole 9 yards and everything was in the proper places. But when I finally learned how to re-walk in physical therapy my stability was even worse than before.”

You could hear Fury quickly typing on his keyboard, making notes of some key points you mentioned. You had paused for too long apparently because Fury glanced up, causing you to quickly start speaking again, “My mom took me to doctors all over the country to see why my knees were worse and what could be done to help fix me, but no one seemed to have an answer. We ended up in New York City, sightseeing between doctor’s appointments when an odd couple approached me. The man was strong and gruff looking, kind of like a Neanderthal in some ways, but he had kind eyes. The woman had long flowing dark hair and powerful eyes. They were walking an orange tabby cat. Which was weird, but New York City is already so weird that I assumed it was somewhat common. They said they could bring me somewhere that could help, and I felt compelled to go with them, so I did. They brought me to the New York sanctum and lead me to the door to Kamar-Taj and then they just disappeared.”

Those were all the important details, the ones that would matter to Director Fury at least. You left out that when you told the Ancient One how you ended up in the sanctum everyone was shocked. That many believed you were chosen by the Vashanti for a greater purpose. Others told you that the Vashanti hadn’t don anything like this in centuries, so they must have seen something powerful in you.

This made your first couple weeks at Kamar-Taj very stressful. You learned slowly, but people acted like you should have been a natural and picked up the magic much quicker. You didn’t really progress much until the Ancient One explained that you could leave at any time. You thought back to her words, I know you think people are expecting great things from you, but you owe them nothing. Even if the Vashanti brought you here, you can simply learn enough magic to heal yourself and go back to your life. Do not let others stop you from doing what you need to. Follow your path, where ever it may lead you.

It may have been a simple message, but it was what you needed to hear then. It helped you to control your magic and energy enough to heal yourself. And when the time came for you to decide if you wanted to go back to your life or stay and become a Master of the Mystic Arts you chose to stay.

“Okay, read over this and let me know if you have any thoughts,” Fury said, turning the laptop to you. You read over a short paragraph vaguely based on your life. Your cover story was that you were a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who had been injured on a mission, but rather than letting you go you were instead given a diplomatic position, now to be an ambassador to Asgard. “You can use all your real childhood memories, your college major lines up with this career field, basically everything before Kamar-Taj is fair game to talk about if anyone asks. I’m going to forward you some mission synopsis files as well to memorize so it’ll seem like you’ve been with us for a while before your injury that basically gave you a ‘desk job’. You’re perfect for this position, just based on appearance you’re entirely unassuming. You look soft,” Director Fury said as he took the laptop back. You raised an eye brow at that comment, sure plenty of people assumed a heavier girl couldn’t do what you could, but it also makes the idea of you being an agent a little harder to believe. You were about to point this out when Fury continued, “That’s what makes the perfect agent, someone people underestimate, someone people don’t expect. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents come in every size, shape, and color miss y/n. But most importantly, you seem like you’re strong enough to stand a chance at fighting a God. I expect regular updates on the situation in Asgard. We need to know what we could be up against.”

“You do know the Asgardians mean to do us no harm, right?” You said, a bit confused. He acted like he was sending you behind enemy lines to collect intel, “They have always fought with us in the past and helped protect Midgard, I mean, Earth. Loki is misguided, but he was a rogue extremist at best.”

Fury sighed. “That’s about what Thor tells me too, but I prefer to always have the upper hand if possible. One last thing,” he added, “can you make your stick stand out a little less?”

You snorted, “I can ask the staff to take a more discreet form.” Fury raised an eyebrow at that response, asking you to elaborate. “The staff is a relic. It contains magic that is too strong for a human to possess. This is the Staff of the Living Tribunal,” you stretched it out again to show off the energy flowing within it. “If it choses too it can take another form itself,” you reply as it turns itself into an ordinary looking cane. You take a moment to silently thank the staff for playing nice.

Fury left you then, saying another agent would be coming by soon to get you your badge, a S.H.I.E.L.D. shirt, and those mission files. You decided to attempt to meditate, but thoughts kept flowing through your mind. You went over the last couple of hours and realized that you were not going to be able to stick to Fury’s plan. It seemed he wanted you to try and infiltrate Asgard without anyone learning you were a Master of the Mystic Arts, or anything other an average human. But Loki had already seen you, the guard Heimdall would be watching out for you, and it would be a miracle if the All-Father couldn’t sense your energy the moment he saw you. You could not keep your status a secret from everyone, but perhaps you could keep Thor unaware for some time. You would need to figure something out and create some interesting excuses as time went on, but you couldn’t have him asking Nick Fury why he sent a magician home with him.

You spent the night in a room on that helicarrier and in the morning you got ready to leave for Asgard. You got dressed in a pair of black jeans, the S.H.I.E.L.D. shirt you were given, a cardigan, and a pair of sneakers. Nick Fury met you by a sleek looking black SUV, your bag already in the back, and drove you to where the Avengers were saying their goodbyes to each other.

The two of you stepped out of the car and immediately saw Natasha give you a look, sizing you up and trying to figure out who you were. Fury went directly to Thor and explained that S.H.I.E.L.D. would like you to go with him to Asgard. “She was one of our best agents and one of the brightest minds we have. If the World Security Council knows we have someone with you who can tell us if something goes wrong, I think I can shut down those dangerous Phase II weapons.” Captain America overheard this and stepped in, telling Thor that this might be a good idea.

You stopped listening to their conversation when you locked eyes with Loki. He had a muzzle of sorts on, but his eyes gave him away. He was shocked and amused to see you here. You do have quite a few tricks up your sleeves don’t you, darling? You heard him think.

You smirked and looked down to your feet, More than you perhaps? You thought back in response. In the corner of your eye you could see his eye brow raise ever so slightly. It seemed he was underestimating you yet again.

Thor agreed to bring you to Asgard, though mentioned his father may not be pleased with a Midgardian guest coming with no warning. “I’m sure he will warm up to me quickly,” You said, one hand on your Staff cane, bag on your back, and taking a hold of the Tesseract’s containment unit, having to share the handle with Loki. I’d love to see that, Loki thought with a scoff just before Thor put a hand on your shoulder to steady you and turned the handle, transporting you to Asgard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter please leave a kudos or subscribe! I also love reading comments! Knowing what people are enjoying helps me to know what direction to take the story in when I get stuck and I love reading what people have to say!


	5. Arrival in Asgard

“Heimdall, how goes the reconstruction?” Thor asks, and you realize the three of you have arrived in Asgard at the end of the rainbow bridge. The Bifrost is being rebuilt but is already looking very similar to how the books written by the ancient Masters described it to.

“The structure is nearly complete,” Heimdall replies, “with the tesseract back on Asgard the Bifrost should be running again very soon.” He finally turns to look at the three of you and adds, “Greetings Lady…?”

“Y/n, and I look forward to getting a chance to speak with you and learn more about Asgard’s history” you respond, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. You can feel a shift in the energy around you. Odin knows you have arrived.

Of course he does, Loki thought to you with a scoff, after I managed to sneak Frost Giants in Odin started paying much closer attention to who comes and goes. He uses Heimdall’s eyes and power to see what he cannot.

You glanced at him before turning to Thor, “I think we should head to the palace. I fear your father would not like to be kept waiting and then learn you’ve brought a Midgardian back as well.”

Thor laughed, but agreed and you headed to a carriage that would deliver you three to the palace, with no guards surprisingly, where Loki is to be sentenced. You expected to have Loki surrounded by guards and then be brought into the throne room for sentencing, but Thor simply grabbed his brother by the back of his jacket and forced him to move towards the transport. It was a very quiet ride to the palace, no one said a word until you arrived minutes later. You entered the palace and looked around in awe of the architecture, until you were thrown another curve ball and walked right past the empty throne room and into a small hallway that lead to a feast room.

What the hell is going on? You questioned to yourself, but Loki surprised you and answered.

They think they can hide this from the people. Just let them think I’m still dead and not show them what a disgrace I’ve become… You could see the pain that thought brought him. You reached a hand out to him and could feel self-hatred radiating off him. You almost used an incantation to soothe him, but Odin’s booming voice stilled your hands.

“Loki,” Odin began slowly, “You always manage to disappoint me. You couldn’t have Asgard so you went after a realm you thought couldn’t stand up for itself. You killed innocent people, nearly leveled a city, yet here you are in front of me again…” Frigga, who stood behind Odin’s seat placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him. Odin paused and took a deep breath before speaking again, “Against all of my better judgement and in contradiction of everything I have learned in my time as King, I am not locking you up in a prison cell.”

Thor looked almost as surprised as you did. Loki tried to enslave the human race with an army of aliens. How was that not worth life in a cell? Frigga smiled softly at her husband’s words and rubbed his shoulder, urging him to continue, “You will be locked in your room, a spell has already been put on it to suppress your magic. If you try to use your seidr for anything beyond levitating a book across the room, you will be tossed into the deepest pits under the palace!” Odin banged his scepter on the ground once when he was done to emphasize his statement and its finality. It caused a breeze that almost knocked you off your feet, but Thor quickly helped support you.

“Father,” Thor said as guards finally appeared to escort Loki away to his room, “I have brought a guest back with me from Midgard.”

Odin looked at you with a gaze that seemed to burn through your skin to see into your very core. “Why?” He asked simply as he stood up and walked over to you, Frigga on his heels.

“I have allied myself with a Midgardian organization. They were using the tesseract to create weapons. After you had banished me to Midgard to teach me a lesson, a very important one,” Thor was rambling. He seemed so strong and powerful back on Earth. But is was clear that here, in front of an enraged Odin, he felt a bit of fear. “They had become worried of an attack, from other realms… They requested one of their own come to Asgard as a representative, so they can be assured of their safety.”

Odin looked at you quizzically, he knew you were not an average human. “And why her?” He asked. Thor gave some sort of answer, but you were thinking loudly to Odin. He doesn’t know. He isn’t to know. Give me a chance to explain on my own privately. Odin nodded and turned to Thor, “leave us,” he commanded. He seemed to be surprised at the abruptness of his father’s request but was not in a position to question him either.

“Everything will be fine darling,” Frigga told him before magically shutting the door behind him.

“Explain yourself sorceress,” Odin said, walking back to his seat at the head of the table. Frigga urged you follow him before she sat beside him.

“Hello, my name is y/n. And you obviously know I’m not an average human…” You began. The sheer amount of power Odin possessed and the look of distrust he was giving you made you nervous. “After Thor appeared on Earth I was put in charge of any and all Asgardian visitors by the Sorcerer Supreme. When Loki and Thor returned after the Bifrost had been destroyed I knew something terrible was happening, the amount of magic that must have taken… Anyway, after the havoc Loki unleashed on my planet, the counter measures being put in place by the humans, and the future my superiors have foreseen… I decided someone needed to step up and keep a closer watch. I don’t know how much you know or what you can see, but there is trouble on the horizon and I wish to prevent it.”

When you finished you looked Odin in the eye, wordlessly asking if you would be allowed to remain on Asagrd. He seemed to ponder over all you had said for a moment before nodding. Frigga looked honestly thrilled and told you she wished to have a word with you. You agreed, but Odin requested to set up some ground rules for you first.

“What is this Midgardian organization Thor is now a part of and what is it they expect of you?” Odin asked.

“S.H.I.E.L.D. is a defensive operation, created to protect our world from extreme threats and collect intel on things before they become threats. At least that’s my understanding of it.” That last sentence piqued the Allfather’s interest. “I’m not actually a member. I am a Master of the Mystic Arts but allying with S.H.I.E.L.D. was the only way I could get here. I told them I would report back on the status of Asgard and what I learn of other planets and if they will become threats. I am also to keep watch over Loki to ensure he will not become a threat once again,” You explained. “I would like to visit Loki regularly and I would like access to the palace libraries as well.”

Odin laughed for a moment, “You make bold request for someone who radiates such uneasiness.”

“It’s how I was raised,” you counter, “So?”

“I will allow you access to the libraries, but under supervision. You are to stay in the main areas of the palace, unless guided elsewhere by myself, the Allmother, Thor, or one of his companions,” Odin then paused. You leaned in slightly, waiting to hear his decision on your meetings with Loki. They might not have been something Fury had really stressed, but they were something you felt was necessary for your true purpose in Asgard. “I will allow you to visit Loki, but for no longer than two hours at a time. Guards will remain outside his door; they can and will check in on you should they feel there is something going on.”

You thanked Odin and bowed to him. He rose from his chair and left to return to his personal chambers. Frigga however did not get up to follow him. Instead she gestured for you to sit next to her. “I have not previously met one of Earth’s sorcerers… Only Odin’s private collection of books makes mention of your existence,” Frigga explained softly. That reminded you that you wanted to know why the Masters were unmentioned in Asgard’s histories, but you felt this was not yet the time. Frigga hovered her hand over your heart. “You’re quite odd though. I can feel your magic, the energy you pull from other dimensions. How you use it constantly to heal yourself. It’s very strong, but there is so much untapped potential, you’re special dear. There is room for more. I believe you have the capacity to learn real magic. To not be limited by dimensional energy. Y/n, I would like to try to teach you some seidr magic.”

You were honestly shocked. You hadn’t expected Frigga to offer to teach you, rather you expected her to request you show your skills with a spell or two. You quickly agreed to meet tomorrow for a lesson around midday and then asked for her to take you to Loki’s room.

Frigga brought you to a door with three guards outside it, blocking the entirety of the door. She told them that you were allowed access when you pleased, which was not what Odin had granted you, but the wink she gave you made you choose to not question her.

You entered the room silently and took a few steps towards the center. Loki sat on the wide window sill, staring out at the grounds below. He didn’t turn to look at you, but coyly said, “Now whatever is a lady such as yourself doing in a place like this?”

“I’m exactly where I want to be,” you replied coolly.

Loki smirked, with an almost evil glint in his eyes. “Doubt you’ll be saying that for long,” he muttered.

“I’ll be here. Everyday in fact, so you better warm up to me quickly. And don’t think to try anything. This room might be suppressing your powers, but mine still work perfectly fine. Which I’m sure you guessed,” you announce as you move to sit down on the end of the bed.

“How did you manage to trick the Allfather?” Loki questioned.

“I told him the truth. Deep down Odin is very concerned for you. He has tried to bury it, but I know it’s there. He just refuses to show it,” you reply simply.

Loki actually laughs as he turns to look at you directly, “you have many impressive powers, but you clearly failed in reading him. How sad and pathetic, so gifted yet you cannot simply read obvious sentiments. Odin wants nothing to do with me. Mother and the blonde oaf have a soft spot for me. If it weren’t for them forcing Odin’s hand I would be as good as dead and forgotten in a cell, miles below the palace dungeons.”

“Oooo, daddy issues, that’s hot,” you said with a wink as you got up and knocked on the door, letting the guards know you would like to exit, leaving Loki still angry, but slightly amused by your wittiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter please leave a kudos or subscribe! I also love reading comments! Knowing what people are enjoying helps me to know what direction to take the story in when I get stuck and I love reading what people have to say!


	6. Learning the Way of the Seidr

The first couple days in Asgard were interesting to say the least. The morning after your arrival you met with Frigga and figured out a training schedule. She also helped get you some new clothes made, similar to your own that you wore back in Kamar-Taj. You just couldn’t give up the bell-sleeves and hooded look.

When the training started you found it to be an interesting struggle. You learned quickly, considering you were the only Midgardian Frigga had ever taught Seidr magic to, but it was difficult to make sure you weren’t using dimensional energy to complete the tasks Frigga was trying to teach you. You found the Seidr magic to be more strenuous on yourself because it was pulling from your own energy or life force, but you figured that it was worth learning in case you were ever in a situation where you were unable to use the mystic arts.

After a week of training with Frigga you had built up a better resistance to the strain the Seidr magic was putting on you. “When you arrived here, your Seidr was very weak. Its glow was dim. But after just a over a week here it is already much stronger,” Frigga had explained to you as she paced in the small room you had been practicing in. 

“What does Loki’s Seidr look like?” you had asked in return. You were very curious, but unsure if you should mention Loki. You’d quickly taken notice to the emotions she radiated when he was brought up, there was so much love and pain.

“It is one of the strongest I’ve ever seen,” she replied, “It burns like the eternal flame, but he wastes its potential. He could do so much good, but he has barely tapped into its full strength.”

“It may be a blessing in disguise then,” you offered, “if he’s going to use his magic to harm others perhaps it’s better that he has been wasting his potential.”

She sat down next to you, eyes downcast. Her pain was palpable. “He was a good boy. I know all parents say that, but he really was. He was so kind and sweet, and then Odin forced him to compete against Thor for his love and approval.” Frigga had her hand tightly clasped together and they started to glow slightly, “I love Odin, but I can never forgive him for what he made my Loki become.”

You placed a hand on hers and the glowing ceased. “I want to be honest with you Frigga. Loki has done some awful stuff, but I don’t think he is a villain. He can still redeem himself. I have faith in him, and I guess I’ll find out if it is misguided faith at some point.”

Frigga smiled at you, “I’m glad he has you to believe in him, if no one else will.”

After your training with Frigga ended you were heading to go meet with Loki for what you were calling his ‘therapy session playdates’; a name he found unamusing at best. But on the way you passed Thor who asked you to train with him since the Warriors Three and Sif were busy trying to prevent a war in one of the realms you couldn’t recall the name of. He had been asking to train you since your arrival. He claimed he wanted you to be able to defend yourself if Loki tried to escape, of course he knew you were training in magic with his mother, but he assumed that it was a fruitless effort.

It’s still very early… you thought to yourself. I was about half an hour until the time you told Loki you would meet him, so rather than be early you decided to humor Thor. So, he led you to the palace courtyard for sparring. You set your cane down on the bench and felt it huff in annoyance as you walked over to a rack of weapons, choosing one similar to a naginata. He can’t know about you yet… you thought to the Staff of the Living Tribunal. Your staff was tired of being hidden and unused. Back at home, at Kamar-Taj you regularly trained with the Staff, it was used to being able to use its power much more regularly. I promise I’ll put you to use later, you thought to it before turning back to Thor.

“If this is the best you can do then I’m not sure meeting alone with Loki is a good idea Lady Y/n,” Thor said as he beat you a fourth time. You had made the decision to not use any powers in the fights to make it more fair for Thor. You knew he wasn’t going to use any lightning bolts on you, so you thought it was only right to not create any weapons with energy or cast any spells. “I can go easier on you, if you’d like.” Thor offered, but his pity only annoyed you.

Just do it, you know you want to… You could hear Loki thinking to you. You looked around and saw him sitting by the window sill up in his room. It over looked the courtyard you and Thor were practicing in. Lie and tell him you’ve been practicing with Mother and you’ve learned quickly.

I have been learning quickly, you argued back to him.

Loki chuckled, If you insist, but he wouldn’t know the difference between Seidr magic and whatever you do anyway. Just beat him. It was entertaining at first, watching you struggle, but now it’s just getting pathetic. Loki replied.

You pushed him from your thoughts and set the Naginata-looking blade back down. “Tired of losing already Lady Y/n?” Thor joked.

You shook you head. “Not exactly, I would like to try something,” you explained, “Your mother has been trying to train me in magic and I’m learning pretty well, at least that’s what she tells me. May I try fighting against your strength that way?”

“I don’t know that you will fair any better, but sure, let’s give it a shot,” Thor said with an amused smile.

You decided that it wasn’t actually lying if you did use some seidr magic as well, so you first materialized a dagger and shot it at Thor. It flew past his face, just missing him by millimeters. His eyes widened, realizing you actually knew what you were doing. Thor tried to charge at you, but you created clones of yourself using the mystic arts. Twenty of yourself surrounded him, at that moment you conjured swords in all of your clone’s hands. Then all the clones became transparent, becoming astral projections, and rejoining your actual form, the swords remaining where they were. You held both hands out in front of you and the swords closed in on his throat. Then you closed your fists and just as suddenly as they appeared, the swords turned to dust and fell to the ground.

Thor stayed where he was, too shocked to move. You looked up to Loki’s window, he was smirking. As soon as he noticed you looking he turned his back to the window. Hurry up, I don’t like to be kept waiting… Loki thought to you.

You rolled your eyes and held your hand out towards the bench you left your cane on. It flew into your open hand as you walked over to Thor and offered a hand to help him up. “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No!” Thor insisted, “I am in perfect health. I’m just… I had no idea you were learning so well from the Allmother. You could be an Avenger Y/n.”

You laughed and patted his shoulder, “I don’t know about that, but thank you. I must go to meet Loki now. I don’t want to keep him waiting too long.” You had turned to walk back into the palace, Thor had insisted he was going to train more, when you paused and turned back to him. “Thor are you still concerned about me being alone with your brother?”

“Not anymore,” Thor said with a chuckle and with that you turned and left, heading to Loki’s room.

You entered Loki’s room and saw he was lying down, reading a book. This was how you found him every time you came to meet with him. “Did you enjoy the show?” You asked him as you set your cane down, leaning it against the dresser by the door before plopping down on the edge his bed.

Loki didn’t even look up from his book. “I haven’t a clue as to what you are referring to… Oh, you mean your party tricks you’ve picked up? They were quite cute,” he said as he tried to push you off the bed with his knee.

You and Loki quickly developed this back and forth type of banter. You weren’t sure if he was flirting with you or not, but each time the thought crossed your mind you tried to ignore it. “Oh, party tricks? You wanna see them up close?”

That got Loki to glance at you finally. He tried to hide his amusement as he replied, “I’d be honored.”

As soon as the words left his mouth you froze him with Seidr magic and moved to sit closer to him. “Try to stay calm,” you said as you placed a hand on his cheek, caressing it for a moment before moving your hand to his forehead and sending him through a whirlwind of dimensions. You watched his facial expressions changed from confusion to panic as he flew through different dark dimensions, some were like kaleidoscopes and others that were just generally like an acid trip. After a few minutes you decided to bring Loki back to reality. You remember one of your first days at Kamar-Taj, when the Ancient One showed you these dimensions in this way, you had been gone for much longer, but you took pity on him.

When you brought Loki back into his body he shot upright and panted. His eyes screamed panic and shock, but he quickly recovered. “Okay, I will admit… your powers are formidable Lady Y/n.” Loki said, looking to you.

You were about to make a witty comment back to him when you realized how close you were sitting to him. It was cliché, even to you, but you really did freeze. You looked closer at Loki’s features, his deep blue eyes that pulled you in and his lips that looked so natural when pulled into a smirk. It finally all clicked in your mind, the pull you felt towards Loki all this time; the reason you didn’t step in sooner when Loki appeared on Earth to take the tesseract, you had liked watching him. You thought it was just intrigue, but now you realized it was desire, magnetism, you had feelings for Loki.

You were lost in thought, even freaking out a bit, until you finally heard Loki speak up. “Y/n… Y/n? Asgard to Y/n?” He blew a cloud of green smoke in your face and you shot up off the bed. You covered up the awkwardness of the moment by going to your cane.

“Sorry, I just remembered my staff wanted a chance to stretch it self out,” you said quickly as you tapped the cane on the ground twice and it transformed back into the staff. Its energy hummed happily as you stretched it out, letting the power crackle for a moment before whipping it once, being careful not to hit and break anything. “We can’t do too much, this isn’t the best place for you to work out all that pent-up energy,” you said to the staff.

You realized that you probably looked a little crazy for speaking to a stick, but when you looked over to check Loki’s reaction you realized he had gotten up and was standing beside you. “May I?” he asked, hand outstretched toward the staff. You bit your lip as you thought it over. Relics were very fickle things, especially the Staff of the Living Tribunal. Because it had chosen you it tended to do what you needed it to. It listened to you, but the Staff has had a history of being very troublesome with others. You gripped it tighter but didn’t feel any negative reaction from the staff, so you nodded and held it out to him.

“This is amazing,” Loki said after holding it for a moment, “I can feel the magic within it, but I can tell that it won’t allow me to access any of it. You’ve put quite the charm on it.”

“It’s no charm,” you said as the staff flew back to your waiting hand.

“Oh wonderful, it knows Mjolnir’s trick too,” Loki said, rolling his eyes.

You giggled a bit, but continued explaining, “relics choose who can wield them, this one has chosen me. And it has also chosen to not allow you to use it. Though I will say that I’ve watched people pick up the Staff and be blasted across the room, so you’re not a total loss.”

You tapped the staff twice and it turned back into your cane, though you could almost feel it groan in annoyance. You mentally apologized to it before moving to sit in Loki’s arm chair. “We’ve gotten to know each other a little better over the past week Loki… Now can you tell me more about what happened in New York?”

Loki walked back to the bed and sat down with a sigh, resting his head in his hands for a moment. “You already know the stories,” he said.

You looked at him with a bored expression. “I’ve heard plenty, yes. But I want to know your side of all this.”

He’s tried using that excuse before, “I’m not sure where to begin…” You could barely make out the muffled words as he said them. This was the closest he has come to confiding in you in a week of your odd meetings.

Loki opened his mouth to continue when a guard knocked on the door and peeked in. “I apologize Lady Y/n, Heimdall has urgently requested your presence.”

You groaned and looked at Loki, “Don’t think this conversation is over. I’ll be back later,” you said and got up, grabbing your cane, and walking out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter please leave a kudos or subscribe! I also love reading comments! Knowing what people are enjoying helps me to know what direction to take the story in when I get stuck and I love reading what people have to say!


	7. A Mother-Son Moment

Loki watches you leave and begins to pace the room. He’s found that moving helps him think more clearly. Y/n is very powerful, her powers are unlike any I have seen here on Asgard. She has proven she’s able to learn our Seidr magic. Her biggest fault is her empathy. She grows attached to easily; I can use that against her. She has the power to free me. If I can convince her of my loyalty she could be a strong ally.

“Loki dear, what are you plotting?” Frigga said, appearing in the room. Loki knew she wasn’t really there, that this was just an illusion she sent.

“I’m so glad you’ve found time to visit me Mother, but whatever are you talking about? I haven’t the slightest clue,” Loki feigned innocence.

“You always think too loudly dear,” Frigga explained, “I’ll ask again, what are you planning?” Loki said nothing, so Frigga continued. “I suppose I’ll just have to guess. You want your freedom back, obviously. Now how are you to go about getting that when this room suppresses nearly all your power? You need someone strong, maybe even stronger than you…”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far,” Loki interjected.

“I would.” Frigga said, silencing him. “She is stronger than you think, do not underestimate her. Even your father fears her.”

“I have no father,” he countered.

Frigga looked at him sadly, she wanted to push that topic further, but she feared the answer she would receive. “Odin fears her,” Loki gave her a questioning look, realizing she had already said too much, Frigga changed the subject. “You shouldn’t lie to yourself Loki, you’re trying to convince yourself you want to keep her close for her strength.”

Loki turned to look out the window, he could see your retreating form on the rainbow bridge, heading towards the Bifrost to see Heimdall. “What other purpose would she serve me?”

“It seems I know you better than you know yourself Loki. You know you pretend to be so heartless and cold…”

“Choose your next words carefully Mother,” Loki said over his shoulder.

“You want her, more than you’ve ever wanted anything before. You’re trying to convince yourself you want to use her because you fear what would come from the truth. Can the god of lies lie to himself? Frigga wondered.

“What are you trying to say?” Loki said harshly.

“Just accept what your heart wants, and you’d be so much happier. Why can you not be content with what life offers you?”

“Because I was meant for great things! To be burdened with glorious purpose and it has been repeatedly stolen away from me and I’ve been left with next to nothing!” Loki yelled in anger.

Frigga was about to speak, but to her surprise Loki took a deep breath and continued, “I do not see why it matters anyway. She’s a Midgardian, her life is negligible compared to ours.”

“And what if it wasn’t?” Frigga asked. “Have I not always told you to let your heart be your guide?”

“Why ask such meaningless questions?” Loki shouted as he forced a book to fly from the shelf across the room at the illusion of Frigga?

“Fine, if you want to live an unhappy life, be my guest.” Frigga said as her illusion dissolved, leaving Loki alone to think over his feelings now that they have been revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter please leave a kudos or subscribe! I also love reading comments! Knowing what people are enjoying helps me to know what direction to take the story in when I get stuck and I love reading what people have to say!


	8. Infinity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Infinity is a real Marvel character, she has a very small Wiki page, but search for it if you want to know a little more about her!

After walking outside the palace walls, you created a portal for yourself to make your journey to Heimdall’s post shorter. When you reached the Bifrost you saw Heimdall, Frigga, and a someone or something you didn’t know. Frigga seems to have just slipped out of a trance and Heimdall helped steady her. Your eyes remained on the stranger.

It’s form seemed to be female. They wore yellow and black, or rather they were yellow and black, the figure was strangely transparent, and they wore a black cape that attached to their wrists. Their head was larger than average, almost the classic shape and size of an alien from an Earth cartoon and had glowing crimson eyes.

After quietly observing them for a few minutes you felt your cane vibrating in a mix of excitement and warning. There was nothing in Norse history that came close to matching this being’s description, not even Hela, so you decided to enter in a defensive position and decided to turn your cane back into the Staff of the Living Tribunal.

The same moment you decided to enter you heard Heimdall’s voice announce, “Lady Y/n has arrived”.

You walked into the Bifrost and said, “Hello Frigga, Heimdall. I was told you requested my presence at once?”

“Yes dear,” Frigga said kindly as she walked over to you, placed a hand on your back and guided you to the being, “I thought we would have more time and you’d have gotten more training before this happened, but even I cannot stop fate. Y/n, this is Infinity,” Frigga said gesturing toward the yellow and black alien.

“Hello Y/n,” Infinity said, “I’ve been watching your for quite some time. I hoped I would never need to contact you, but it seems our universe’s course has been set.”

“I’m going to need more information than that. What… are you?” you asked, your grip on your staff loosening slightly now that it seemed Infinity was not hostile.

“I am a cosmic entity, my child,” Infinity explained, “I represent the totality of space and my brother Eternity represents time. We are the life forces of the universe.”

You nodded in response, you had never been taught about any cosmic entities by the Ancient One, but you had learned plenty of unbelievable things in your time at Kamar-Taj to just calmly let this new information sink in. “Okay,” you replied slowly, “follow up question, why has a cosmic entity been stalking me?”

Infinity seemed amused by your response, but simply looked at Frigga and Heimdall. “Leave us,” she said. There was such finality in her voice it would have been impossible to resist. She then looked back at you, her eyes seemed to glow for a moment before she spoke again, “Y/n, I’ve focused a lot of energy to create this form and come speak to you.”

“Why?” you asked.

“Something horrible is on the horizon. My brother and I have tried to prevent it, but it’s too late. Too much is set into motion already and there are only a few options to prevent total devastation across the universe.” Infinity explained, “I’ve come to you because you are strong. You are a master of the mystic arts and hold the power of the seidr. The Vishanti chose you, the Allfather fears you, and most importantly, you feel something is coming too.”

It was almost a relief to hear that a cosmic entity was validating your concerns about what the future held, before something else she said clicked. “Wait, what do you mean, Odin fears me?” You interjected.

“King Buri, Odin’s grandfather, received a prophecy, eras before your time, from my brother. That one day a Midgardian would appear, and it would be the fall of Asgard. The first warning of Ragnarök. It would be a sorcerer who could also master the seidr and if he tried to avoid her, his doom would only come sooner.”

You stood there, thoroughly dumbfounded, but Infinity continued.

“It seems he is wise enough to heed warnings since he has allowed you to stay in Asgard. I’m glad the old fool learned after the Hela incident. But I’m not here to talk about the past, we need to mold the future.” Infinity said.

When you became a master of the mystic arts you pledged an oath to protect Earth with your life. Might as well extend that to the rest of the Universe I suppose, you thought to yourself before asking, “What do you need me to do?”

“I’m glad you asked. There are a few specific events you will need to ensure happen and a few general things that will take more time. However, one is rather pressing. Loki’s scepter remains on Earth. The ones who call themselves the Avengers, do not have it. A man named Baron Strucker, who works for an organization called Hydra, has it. He is planning to enhance human’s with it’s power. You need to return to Earth and ensure it works on two of test subjects, the Maximoff twins. They will be essential parts of the future fights.” As Infinity spoke you realized that all the steps in this process to save the universe were going to be lengthy and you wished you had a note pad to write it all out.

“Next, you must ensure the man named Tony Stark feels immense guilt after the next major battle the Avengers fight on Earth. It will set in motion a divide in the Avengers that is necessary for them to grow. They will fight each other, but it will make them stronger. However, you will need to keep Thor busy, so he cannot interfere.” Infinity continued, “Later on, there will come a time when Hela will return- “

“Wait, Hela is still alive?” You interrupted.

Infinity nodded grimly, “Hela was merely banished, Odin was not strong enough to kill her, physically or emotionally.”

“So, you’re going to ask me to fight the Goddess of Death?” you said in shock.

“The opposite actually,” Infinity said with a smirk, “you need to allow her to return because it will be the fall of Asgard. Asgard cannot continue to exist if the rest of the universe is to remain unscathed. The Allmother requested I mention that the only people who know about Hela are Odin, Frigga, and Heimdall and it should stay that way until the time comes. To ensure she is able to return Odin will need to be weakened, you will know what to do when the time comes.”

“As for the more general tasks, you will need to get close to Loki,” Infinity said, as soon as the words left her mouth you felt yourself blush slightly. Now, not only do you have a crush on him, but it seems the universe itself was trying to push you together, even if the pairing would never work. It was almost cruel. Infinity noticed your internal reaction, but continued, “Loki knows the man behind all of this, he knows what he’s capable of. Loki fears what is to come as well because of this. Your most task is to keep track of the stones.”

“The space stone is here on Asgard, the mind stone is in the scepter and the time stone is protected on Kamar-Taj by the Ancient one. It is safe.” You reply.

“For now,” Infinity started, “but you and I both know she has seen her own demise. That being said, the next sorcerer supreme, a man named Doctor Strange will be trustworthy as well.”

“That leaves the power, reality, and soul stones,” you said, “the power stone has been missing for centuries and it is said that King Bor destroyed the Ether in his fight with the Dark Elves.”

“They couldn’t destroy it,” Infinity explained simply, “It was too powerful for even him to destroy. Upon that realization Bor chose to hide it away in the depths of the palace. As for the soul stone, a map leading to it exists somewhere out in the galaxy. However, it is safe on a planet known as Vormir with a price few are willing to pay.”

“How am I supposed to do all of this?” You asked Infinity. It isn’t that you didn’t want to help, it’s just that you couldn’t see how it was possible to make sure certain events happened, keep track of 6 infinity stones, and learn how to use your seidr to its full ability. “I’ve only been studying with Frigga for a week. I’ve picked some spells up quickly, but I’m nowhere near the level you need me to be at.”

“I can help you with that, I can help you with more than just that Y/n,” Infinity said with a soft smile. It looked kind, but somehow that worried you. “My brother Eternity is time, we have seen many options for the future. I know all. I knew you were secretly observing us before you enter. I know what Frigga and Loki talked about after you left his room, she sent an illusion to him. They spoke of you.”

“Please get on with it,” you said as you continually felt your face heat up, you tried to will your emotions to calm but your mind was too caught up with all the new information.

“I believe it will do you well to be tied to Loki. He feels for you too, as much as he tries to hide it, even he has a heart. And he fears it will be broken. You know Loki has a powerful seidr, yes?” Infinity asks, and you nod, not sure where this was going exactly, “Frigga loves to brag about that. You know he doesn’t use most of it then as well. I can easily make it so you are a master of the seidr and know all you need to know, but I’m giving you a bigger opportunity. To have the power of your own strong seidr and access to Loki’s strength as well.”

You tried to process what that meant, you’d be pulling from Loki’s power and your own. From a fighting standpoint that would be a great asset, but there had to be a catch. You also didn’t feel right about stealing from him this way. While you were thinking you realized Infinity stopped talking. You looked back up at her and she continued.

“By connecting you two this way, you would also be connected to his lifeforce,” Infinity explained, interlocking her fingers, “you would live as long as he does. Coincidentally, his biggest concern about his emotions toward you are that fact that he will outlive you but thousands of years. By making you stronger, hopefully strong enough to handle what is coming, I am giving you a chance. A chance to have a future with Loki, one that could be very happy. But be warned, in some futures he does not survive as long as he may think.”

It feels wrong to agree to this without Loki knowing, you thought to yourself, but Infinity claims she knows all and that this is what might be what Loki wants too. Was it too selfish to agree? Is it foolish not to, to not get the added strength to fight off something that could destroy our universe? I have to also think about my oaths made in Kamar-Taj, and my agreements to Director Fury. Am I spreading myself too thin?

Infinity interrupted you thoughts by taking your hands in hers and saying, “You’ll need all the strength you can manage, all the power you can hold.”

“Okay, I agree. What do I need to do?” You asked.

Infinity started glowing, not just her eyes but her whole body this time. You felt an electric hum and a potent surge of energy. You could feel your seidr growing like someone added wood to an immense bonfire and then suddenly you felt a dam open. You knew you were being connected to Loki’s seidr now because what was just a bonfire was suddenly a raging forest fire. For a moment, the rush of power blocked everything else out, even your connection to the dimensional energy that kept your legs working, and you collapsed to the ground.

And then as abruptly as it started, everything calmed. You could still feel the intense forest fire of seidr, the raw power you had access to now, but it was containable, like you could easily push it to the back of your mind and not worry about it. You took a minute to regather yourself. Without the dimensional energy allowing you to help your legs work you got a burst of pain you hadn’t had to feel in years. Your immediate reaction was to scream of cry, but you focused and breathed, just like the Ancient One taught you in your first days at Kamar-Taj. You popped your kneecaps back into place and stood up once you felt you had full control and could use the mystic arts again to regulate your injuries again.

“Keep this a secret, the less people that know about our arrangement the better,” Infinity said as she faded away. You retrieved your staff and headed outside. You only saw Heimdall standing there.

“The Allmother returned to the palace, Lady Y/n,” He said.

“I see,” you replied, “I will return as well. I had to leave just as Loki was going to explain what happened that lead him to the New York incident.”

Heimdall nodded, but you only made it a few paces before he spoke up again, “She blocked my view, I couldn’t see what happened in there. However, with you in front of me now I can feel the power radiating from you and it feels alarmingly familiar. I hope you’ve made the right choice Lady Y/n.”

You smiled warmly to him, “Thank you for your concern. This was what I had to do for the universe, I just hope it was the right choice for me as well.” You didn’t wait for another response, you turned on your heal and tapped the staff on the ground twice to turn it back into a cane, and headed back to Loki’s chambers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter please leave a kudos or subscribe! I also love reading comments! Knowing what people are enjoying helps me to know what direction to take the story in when I get stuck and I love reading what people have to say!


	9. Odin's Secrets

You walked up to Loki’s door, still wondering if your choice was right. Was it fair to Loki? Not really, I’m essentially a parasite feeding off his seidr now. But Infinity said this would make things better and I think it’s fair to assume a cosmic entity knows what she is talking about. You thought to yourself, then again, she could have just said that to manipulate me into agreeing. Infinity’s goal is to make sure the universe is safe; she probably would have said anything to get me to agree. Y/n, what have you gotten yourself into?

You heard one of the guards clear his throat and you realized you had been lost in thought in front Loki’s door for at least a few minutes. You smiled awkwardly and went to knock on the door but heard a something crash into the wall by the door. You jumped back a bit and looked at the guard, expecting him to rush in and see if everything was okay.

He just shrugged and said, “He’s been in a mood since you left. Yelling and breaking things.”

You nodded and knocked on the door. You could hear the soft thud of something being dropped to the floor and a cold “Enter,” from Loki.

Loki saw you peek around the door, a little scared of being hit by a projectile. He took a deep breath before greeting you, “Y/n?”

“I’m back,” you said as you walked in and set your cane down next to what was a dresser when you left, but now all the drawers were missing and broken, and the clothes were everywhere. “What happened in here? It looks like a tornado rip this place apart!”

Loki gave you a once over like he could tell something was different about you already. “It’s fine, just,” Loki paused for a minute. He tried look like he was searching for the right words, but you could feel the lie on the tip of his tongue before he said it, “a little, how do you say it on Midgard? Cabin fever?”

You nodded, that was probably not a lie. It was more of a half-truth. Loki was tired of being under house arrest and stuck in here, but that was not why he destroyed his room. You waved a hand around the room and everything repaired itself. “How about a little prison break then? Maybe a change of location will make continuing our earlier conversation a bit easier?” You offered.

Loki raised an eye brow but agreed nonetheless. He sat down in a chair and gestured for you to sit in the one facing him. You sat down in front of him and immediately allowed your astral form to be released from your physical form. You looked to Loki but knew he couldn’t see you. You put a hand on his cheek and watched him jump slightly in surprise before you moved your hand to his forehead and pushed his astral form out.

“Fancy meeting you here stranger,” you said before waving a hand over his body and floating towards the door and Loki followed. “Where shall we go? And just so you don’t think to try something I put a spell on you. If you leave the palace grounds, you’ll be shocked and forced back into your body. It’s not very comfortable. The Ancient One would use that on us in training.”

“The sun recently set, I know a of a small balcony off Odin’s private library that is great for viewing the night sky,” Loki offered. As soon as you nodded Loki headed off, leading you there. You breezed past countless empty rooms, up a few stairwells, and shelves of books in the library before reaching Odin’s private collection of books. You saw Loki go out the glass doors leading to the balcony, but one section of books caught your eye. You stopped to read the spines of the books and translated the runes. They were about Midgard’s history.

You pulled the first one off the shelf, flipped it open, and saw a picture of Master Agamotto. The caption under it explained that he was a master of magic known as the mystic arts and taught many disciples. It also noted that he was entrusted with the time stone and placed it in the necklace he is often pictured wearing.

You stared at the picture of Master Agamotto and tried to work through that this all meant. Odin had kept Earth’s history of the Mystic Arts existence a secret from the people of Asgard. He himself knew the history and it seemed Frigga did as well but destroyed all other books on the subject. That was some extreme censorship. Is it to make Asgardians feel stronger? You wondered, I want to believe Odin is a good person, was it to protect us from something? But from what?

You were lost in thought, trying to figure out what Odin’s intentions were when you heard Loki right behind you. “Y/n, what are you looking at?”

You slammed the book shut and put it back on the shelf, hoping that didn’t make enough noise to raise suspicion that someone had snuck into the library. Before you could make up a response Loki continued speaking, “It’s not actually a blank book you know. It only appears that way to people less powerful than Odin. Mother once told me only she and Odin could read any of these books.”

“Oh, um,” You weren’t sure how to reply to that, but if you wanted Loki to be truthful to you about everything leading up to the Battle of New York you should be truthful to him too. “They’re supposed to be blank? I was looking at a picture of the Agamotto, the founder of the Masters of the Mystic Arts.”

“You can actually read it?” Loki asked incredulously.

You nodded, worried you had messed up again today and this would only upset him more. His eyes lit up a little as he pulled another thin book off the shelf at random, opened it to page, and held it out to you, “What does this say?”

You leaned in a little closer and translated the first paragraph. “Something about Dark Elves and the Ether returning one day.”

Loki closed the book and looked confused as he read the spine again. “This book is supposed to be about the final battle of Bor and the Dark Elves. We were taught that Bor killed every last one of the Dark Elves and destroyed the Ether on Svartalfheim.”

You took the book from Loki and put it back on the shelf from where he had grabbed it. “It seems that Odin has censored your history and kept the real records hidden away in this private collection.”

“Why?” Loki asked quietly. You knew the question wasn’t directed to you, you expected Loki didn’t realize he even said it out loud. It was more of an internal pondering.

“I think I know why actually, but I need to talk to Frigga more about it before I say anything more.” You replied and turned towards the door to the balcony, “Let’s just go outside and talk. The fresh air will do you good.” Loki agreed without protest and followed you outside.

Loki sat on the stone railing, legs dangling over the edge. You followed suit, sitting with a small gap between the two of you. “I still don’t know where to start.” Loki said softly.

“You can start wherever you want to. I wasn’t here when any of this happened so tell me your side of the story. I’m not sitting here with a negative image of you already.” You told him.

Loki scoffed, “How can you not have a negative image of me? I helped an army of aliens attack your planet in exchange for the promise of being named its king!”

You placed and hand on his. Loki’s eyes widened and he glanced at you in his peripheral. “I am not holding that against you. I never did. I’ve spent all my time at Kamar-Taj studying Asgard. I know your past and I know what Midgardian Norse Mythology says of you. I also know Frigga speaks of you with so much love and that she still has faith that you will do great things. Your mistakes don’t have to define you. I want to help you Loki.”

“Okay, I’ll being where I think everything started to fall apart, the day that Thor was supposed to be crowned king,” Loki said, turning toward you slightly, “I felt that Thor was not suited for the throne. He was too foolhardy and just wanted to fight and win glory. He didn’t really care about the people’s well-being. I didn’t feel it was fair for Odin to dismiss my claims to the throne so blatantly so I allowed a diversion to prevent the coronation from proceeding. I snuck a message out to Jotunheim and told them to send a couple warriors to reclaim the Casket of Ancient Winters. I hated the Jotuns, and I still do, but they were the easiest of Asgard’s enemies to trick. They were desperate and never fully recovered after they were cut off from the rest of the realms so I knew they would be willing to accept an anonyms message offering to help them; I knew they wouldn’t succeed and the Destroyer would kill them. I planned this all as a harmless trick to stop the coronation, to ensure that the date would get pushed back and I would have more time to talk to Odin and convince him Thor wasn’t worthy of the throne. Then Thor decided to go to Jotunheim to fight them. I admit I might have supported the idea, but I didn’t think Thor would be so quick to agree. I told a guard where we were going and to send Father after us after we left so that Thor would be punished and we would end up dead.”

You made a small sound of surprise, but Loki noticed and paused his story. He looked to you and asked what happened. “It’s nothing, you just finally called Odin your father.”

Loki looked away and you were worried he was going to stop talking and close up again but to your surprise he started speaking again, “Anyway, I was touched by one of the Jotuns and turned blue rather than getting frost burn so I knew something was wrong, after Thor was banished I spoke to Odin about it and that’s when he told me that I was not his son, but would have been the crown prince of the creatures I grew up being taught to hate.”

“That would be enough to fuck anyone up,” you commented.

Loki seemed amused by your response, “Your Midgardian simplicity refreshing as always Lady Y/n.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” you questioned.

“Nothing negative, darling,” Loki defended himself, “The brashness of your replies is quite amusing. It’s so unapologetically honest. It’s very different from most people here and rather endearing,” you blushed in response so Loki changed the subject, “anyway after that Odin fell into an Odinsleep and being the only heir left on Asgard, I became the acting King. I wanted to finish the Jotuns off like they should have been hundreds of years ago, but now, looking back on my emotions, I realize that I was also wanting to erase my true past. I wanted to cut any and all ties I could have to them so I formulated a plan to sabotage them and elevate myself to the strong hero status Thor held. For my plan to work I knew I would need to keep Thor away on Midgard so I lied to him, telling him father died and though I was king, he would have to remain banished. Then I went to Laufey, claiming I wanted to betray Asgard, but as you know it was just a ploy to kill him, which was obviously successful,” Loki’s words trailed off.

“And then Thor returned,” you offered.

This seemed to refocus Loki’s mind, “Yes, Thor returned and stopped me from fully destroying Jotunheim by destroying the Bifrost and I fell from the bridge. Odin could have saved me, but he didn’t, and I fell to my doom.”

You could hear his throat tightening as he neared the end of his sentence so you tried to urge him to continue, “And then what happened?”

“It’s getting rather late isn’t it?” Loki said, ignoring your question entirely, “I think we should turn in for the night and continue this conversation another day.”

You knew what Loki was trying to do, he was trying to get out of continuing this conversation. He only shared what you already knew, but you appreciated the fact that he was willing to open up, even this much. “That’s okay, we can continue tomorrow. Thank you, Loki,” you said and held a hand up to his face, making him disappear and rejoin his physical form back in his room. Before you returned to your body as well you took one last glance at the shelves in Odin’s private library. How much else has he hidden? Everything about the Masters, everything about Hela, and apparently the truth about whatever happened between King Bor and the Dark Elves.

You were torn between confronting Odin directly about all this or just privately sneaking back in at some point and reading through more of the books. There was nothing you could do at the moment anyway so you returned to your body in Loki’s room.

“I’ll be back early tomorrow Loki,” you told him as you stood up, stretched, and cracked your neck. “I know this is difficult for you. It must not be easy to relive whatever happened to you, I can see the pain in your eyes.”

Loki refused to meet your eyes. “What happened to you out there, Lady Y/n?” He asked.

“What do you mean?” You asked in response.

“What did Heimdall summon you for?” Loki clarified. He watched your smile falter and knew he needed to press the topic further, “You’re stronger. I can feel your Seidr burning and the energy in you,” Loki placed a hand over the center of your chest, “I can feel it coursing through your veins.”

“It seems I’ll have some explaining to do tomorrow as well,” you agreed and removed his hand from your chest, but instead of releasing it, you held it for a moment in both of your hands. “But you’re going first.”

Loki’s eyes crinkled into a smile as he agreed. “Goodnight darling,” he said simply and walked away from you towards his bed.

“Goodnight my Prince,” you quipped back as you walked to the door, holding out a hand and your cane soaring into it. You could feel the mirth radiating from Loki at that comment as you left his room and headed to your own.

As you made the short walk back to your room you thought about what your next step should be. I obviously need to hear the rest of Loki’s story first, you thought. Then it’s a toss up between returning to Earth to begin the tasks of making sure these twins are properly enhanced and everything is on the path it should be or stay on Asgard a bit longer before that and figure out why Odin has been lying to his people.

It was moments like this that you wish you had the Eye of Agamotto to see what different futures held. Though even without the ability to see the future you knew fate would pull you down whichever path is more pressing.

You were so distracted by your own thoughts you didn’t even notice Thor until you actually ran into him.

“Lady Y/n?” He said as he steadied you, “What are you doing wandering the castle at this hour?”

“I’ll admit I have no idea what time it is, but I’m sure it isn’t that late Thor,” you said with a kind smile, “sorry, I should have been paying more attention to where I was going.”

“What is on your mind?” Thor asked. He really was like a human, or rather Asgardian, golden retriever; all blonde, friendly, and kind.

“I had an interesting meeting with… a friend of your mothers earlier this evening and I’ve only just finished speaking with your brother. I’ve learned a lot tonight and I’m not sure what to do next honestly. I’m not even sure if I should be telling you this much,” you confessed. Just saying that much to another person was relieving some of the metaphorical pressure you felt on your shoulders.

“I didn’t know mother had a friend visiting her,” Thor replied.

“It was just a quick visit. I’m guessing she was in the area so she thought she’d just pop in,” you lied.

“Well if it’s about Loki then I can talk to him,” Thor offered, “I’m well aware you can handle yourself Lady Y/n, but I’m happy to help you however I can.”

You reached up on your tiptoes to ruffle his hair a bit, “You’re very sweet Thor. But Loki has been nothing but a gentleman to me. Honestly! You must know your brother well enough to recognize that he is not a bad person. Misguided maybe, but not evil.”

Thor flattened his hair and sighed. “I’m not sure what to think of him anymore. He’s changed so much from when we were kids.”

“Well of course, everyone changes as they grow and learn life lessons. I believe one dashing blond god-man recently learned that fighting isn’t always the best answer, especially for a king.”

“You are very wise for a Midgardian,” Thor murmured. You raised an eyebrow at his comment and he quickly realized what he said came out wrong. “I meant that you have the wisdom of someone who has lived hundreds of years, Lady Y/n”

“Of course, you did,” you joked. “Well, I should be getting to bed. Loki still has a lot more to explain tomorrow and I have a feeling I will need a lot of energy to get it all out of him.” You were about to walk away when you thought of something. “Actually, maybe you talking to Loki would help. But not quite yet, he still needs more time. Goodnight Thor”

Thor bid you goodnight as you continued down the hall to your door. As soon as you reached your bed you collapsed onto it, the day’s mental strain finally catching up with you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter please leave a kudos or subscribe! I also love reading comments! Knowing what people are enjoying helps me to know what direction to take the story in when I get stuck and I love reading what people have to say!


	10. Loki's Tell-All

The next morning you woke up much later than you expected to, late enough that Frigga actually came to your room to wake you up. She claimed she was worried you were unwell, but you had a feeling she was worried that yesterday’s meeting with Infinity might have been too overwhelming for you to take in.

“I’m fine,” you assured her, “After I left the Bifrost I headed back to Loki’s room and we talked for too long so I didn’t get to bed until quite late.”

“So… He knows?” Frigga questioned. “I’m sure he had no qualms with this arrangement.”

“Actually, he did most of the talking yesterday. He’s finally opening up about what happened,” you told her.

“Well that is a big step for Loki, but Y/n… I know Infinity told you not to tell anyone about what the two of you had discussed and what you know now, but Loki is involved as well. He deserves to know the truth, or at least some of the truth.” Frigga advised.

“I know. I have a lot of things to figure out at the moment,” you said. “But first I need Loki to finish tell me what happened to him after he fell from the bridge. I know in my heart that whatever it was is connected to what Infinity is warning us about.”

Frigga didn’t know how to respond. The thought that her darling boy, Loki could have been hurt by whatever evil is coming was almost too much to handle. You could feel the anger in her strengthening her Seidr, like adding kindling to a fire.

“He was acting strange yesterday too. When I came back, he had nearly destroyed his room, books were thrown all over and the furniture was broken. I asked him what happened, but he lied. Have you ever noticed he uses his Seidr when he lies? That’s how I knew. I could feel the spark of it when he said it was just cabin fever. That’s why his silver tongue is so effective, it’s actually magic.” You explained to Frigga.

“I might know the reason for that. Actually, I might be the cause of it. I had come by to see him, after you headed to the Bifrost, to talk to him. It seems our conversation might have hit too close to home for him,” Frigga said.

“What do you mean?” You asked.

“Well, I might’ve caught him plotting and tried to open his mind to what his heart desires. I’ve always wanted the best for him, but I fear it was the wrong thing to do. He hadn’t realized these feelings himself and pointing them out him didn’t go as well as I hoped,” Frigga said. “He is rude and harsh, but it’s just to protect himself. If you give him the chance, I truly think something wonderful could blossom between you two.”

You pulled your bed sheet up over your head to hide your embarrassment. It seemed like everyone was trying to push you and Loki together. You supposed that meant it is what fate wanted, but that didn’t make it any less embarrassing to hear the mother of the guy you were interested trying to set you up. “I just don’t think right now is the right time. At a different time, under different circumstances maybe…” You mumbled through the sheet.

Frigga seemed to agree and got up, pulling the sheet off of you. “You’ve got to get up. I heard Loki pacing when I passed his room on my way here. He seems anxious. You shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

Frigga had turned on her heel to leave the room when you remembered the library last night. “Wait,” you yelled suddenly. “I wanted to ask you something, Allmother. What Infinity said about Odin being afraid of me. Is that true? Am I stronger than Odin?”

Frigga smiled softly at you, but her eyes were flooded with apprehension and fear. “Yes, Infinity and Eternity’s predictions are always right. As for being stronger than the Allfather, perhaps not right now but you will be. Does this concern you?”

“I don’t know that ‘concern’ is the right word,” you muttered. “A lot is happening right now. I’ve had a lot of revelations in the last few weeks. Is it possible to meet with the Allfather soon? I have questions I believe only he can answer.”

“I will let him know you would like to request a presence with him,” Frigga agreed as she left.

And with that you rose from the bed and got ready for the day. Within half an hour you were in front of Loki’s room, greeting the guards, and knocking on the door. To your surprise, Loki actually opened the door for you. He looked like he had gotten very little sleep. His raven hair was messier than normal and tangled in many places.

“How are you this morning Loki?” You inquired.

“Can we skip the formalities this morning?” Loki said, completely ignoring your question. “I think I’m ready to explain what happened. I’ve been going back and forth on whether or not this is a good idea for hours and I don’t want my decision to waver again.”

You were a bit taken back by the rush of words, but quickly agreed. Loki seemed like he was barely holding it together so you figured it would be better to let him tell his story however he wanted to and at whatever pace he felt comfortable with. You took a couple more steps and reached his bed, sitting down on the edge and patting the spot next to you, gesturing for Loki to join you.

Loki sat down awkwardly, fiddling with a loose thread on his sleeve. “You see, I fell and I thought I was going to die. I thought everything was over and my mother, my brother, they would all remember me for my betrayal, but I lived. I fell through a wormhole and ended up on an abandoned planet known as Titan.”

As Loki spoke you felt a cold chill run down your spine but let him continue.

“The whole planet had been abandoned. The people were killed in a terrible famine, but one man remained. His name was… his name was Th-Thanos. I found him and a small group of beings from other various worlds looking out at the ruins of the once beautiful capital city. I called out to them for help, hoping they could get me back to Asgard, but instead they took me in.”

“At first, they were very welcoming. They asked me how I ended up on Titan and I explained to them that I had tried to wipe out all of Jotunheim. That seemed to excite them. Thanos was particularly impressed with my magic skills and said I would make a powerful ally. He told me he could give me a planet to rule if I were to help him get the tesseract from Midgard, you see, he is obsessed with finding the six Infinity stones. I was very tempted and agreed with little to no question, but when I saw what he was doing to the girls he called his daughters I knew that I needed to get away from them as soon as possible.”

“What was he doing to them?” You blurted out. You didn’t mean to, but your curiosity and concern got the best of you.

“He made them fight each other and whoever lost… Thanos would have a body part replaced with machine. He claimed that enhancing them would help put them on a more even playing field and make them the strongest women in the galaxy, but the blue one, she was more than half machine already.”

You could barely believe what Loki was saying. You knew he wasn’t lying, you could feel how calm his Seidr was at the moment and you could feel the pain in his voice as he continued to recount what he had seen.

“Thanos asked me to join him and be one of the ‘Children of Thanos’. I learned from his other daughter, the green one, that all of them were picked up by Thanos at young ages from planets he traveled to. His army would round up the whole population and slaughter half of them. He would see potential in a child and decide to spare them and raise them in that unforgiving environment so they could aid him in these genocidal missions. She told me she would be trying to escape Thanos’s grasp soon and once freed she would do everything in her power to destroy him, to prevent him from destroying any other populations and collecting more children. She had asked me to help her. I refused because I knew I needed to make a break for it sooner than she could manage. I tried to escape shortly after that talk, but Thanos caught me and took control of my mind with the scepter, the one I had brought to Earth. There is a powerful gem, an infinity stone, in it that can brainwash people. Thanos took control of me and forced me to do his bidding. It was like I was trapped inside my own body but couldn’t do anything. It was awful. I tried to fight it, the first few times it was easy, but the more it happened the deeper I was pushed and the harder I fought the more I felt like I was on the brink of insanity. It got to the point that he had such complete control over me and he thought my consciousness was buried so deep I wouldn’t be able to escape, he sent me to Midgard to take control of the planet and open a portal to allow his Chitauri army direct access to the planet. As long as I was near the scepter it could keep me under his control and render me powerless. I began to lose hope of ever being freed when I suddenly was able to regain some control. It was small at first, but I realized that while I let Dr. Selvig study the scepter and work on the portal I was growing stronger again. I was away from the scepter for long enough I was able to break free. After that point when I had to hold the scepter it was a fight over who was in control over me, Thanos or myself. I considered stopping everything and fleeing back to Asgard somehow, but I knew if I left, Thanos and his children would come to Midgard instead and that is a fight your people are not prepared for.”

Loki stopped speaking for a moment so you moved closer to him, grabbed his hand, and just held it. You felt his Seidr spark again but ignored it because you were too shocked by what he had just told you. “So, you became the villain to protect Earth?” You clarified.

“I didn’t want to hurt all those people. You were right,” Loki struggled to say. He eyes were squeezed shut like he was being forced to relive the moments in his head and couldn’t stop it. “Back on the tower, when you said that this was more than mischief. I did all of that for the promise of a throne, I’m awful.”

“No, you’re not,” you told him. He turned and looked at you incredulously. “You feel regret. That proves you’re not awful. Hell, you told me how to stop the portal back then. You had some bad things happen to you and your whole life was flipped on its head. You were put in a terrible situation and had to survive a madman. You fought it the best you could, but even you are not strong enough to defeat an infinity stone alone Loki.”

You maneuvered Loki’s body so he was now lying down on his side on the bed. You sat down next to him, facing his back. “You need rest,” you explained when he tried to move. “You put yourself through a lot of stress in your explanation, let me help you.” As you spoke you moved your hands and created a small mandala of dimensional energy meant to calm Loki down and relax his mind. Once the spell was complete you held it over his head until his eyes drifted shut and he was fast asleep.

It was a simple healing charm, meant to rejuvenate the mind. You knew Loki would be asleep for a few hours so you decided to take this chance to meditate and hopefully find an answer to the growing number of questions you now had.

When you meditated you liked to have something to ground you. This always confused the ancient one, who tried to teach you to meditate by emptying your mind and disconnecting yourself from the world, but that never worked for you. And after the Ancient one had to force you back into your body because you were drifting away, she understood why emptying yourself wasn’t going to work for you. You needed something to ground you or your mind would wander too far away. You would sometime play Tibetan monk throat singing, that Wong had introduced you to, but when you couldn’t use headphones you would braid yarn or wind it around your fingers.

You looked around the room in hopes of finding something suitable to toy with but found nothing. You looked back at Loki and noticed again how tangled his hair was so you decided to do him a favor and fix it for him while you meditated. It’s nothing more than that, you swore to yourself as you started running your fingers through it, working through the knots as you closed your eyes and emptied your mind.

You meditated for a few hours before Loki began to stir. In that time, you had a vision that compelled you to contact Nick Fury as soon as possible. You were also able to take a step back and analyze the situation more clearly. Thinking back on Loki’s story you realized that at first, his seidr was calm but as he continued you realized that his fire grew more turbulent and, in the moment, you thought it was because of the emotional stress he was going through while retelling what happened to him. However, when you took a step back and reflected on everything you realized that something wasn’t adding up.

Could Loki really have given up his ambition for the throne so easily. Would he really care more about a planet of people he didn’t know more than he does about himself? He might not be evil, but he is kind of egocentric and self-serving. You decided it would be best to confront Loki about that and then try and explain what happened with Infinity without giving to much detail away.

“Y/n?” Loki said groggily, “How long was I asleep for?”

“A few hours I think,” you replied. You looked down at him. His eyes barely open, trying to adjust to the light shining in through the window. You saw that his hair seemed to be untangled and you’d even began twisting the hair different types of braids while you meditated.

“That was the best rest I’ve ever gotten. You must teach me how to do that.”

You snickered, “It’s a mystic arts thing. I don’t know if you could handle it.” Loki faked offense at that, but you continued talking before he could say anything. “So about earlier… was that story one hundred percent honest?”

“Why do you ask?” Loki said cryptically.

“While you slept, I was meditating. You could say it was enlightening and I realized I misread you. Your seidr shifted and what I thought was pain, I now believe was a lie. You still want a throne,” you accused. “I know what makes your silver tongue so successful.”

“You’re so smart darling,” Loki said smugly, “I did lie a bit. If things had gone as Thanos had planned and I had ended up being named King of your world I wouldn’t have been opposed. Is it really such a bad thing though? Being king was supposed to be my birthright. I was raised and groomed for rule. I believe I would have made a very fair king.”

“Of course, you do, but that was all in past tense, ‘was’, ‘would have’. You’ve given up?” you asked.

“For the moment yes. My first priority currently should be getting out of this prison sentence, is it not?” Loki said simply. He went to run a hand through his hair and felt one of the braids. He looked at you, confusion written on his face. “Did you… braid my hair while I was asleep?”

“While you were sleeping, I was meditating. I normally twist rope or listen to music while I meditate, it helps ground me so I don’t get too lost inside my own mind.”

“I see,” Loki said as he stretched and got off the bed. You watched him walk over to his desk and open a small chest on it. “Do you often get lost in your own mind?”

You weren’t sure if that was supposed sound insulting or not but you answered anyway. “When I first arrived at Kamar-Taj and was new to the Mystic Arts when I mediated too deeply it was like my astral form would float off and I had a lot of trouble breaking the trance like state I was in and finding my body again, so the Ancient One suggested grounding methods.” You had looked down at your hands as you spoke, but when you looked back to observe Loki’s reaction you saw that he was tying the braids with small pieces of leather, adding a bead with ancient runes on them to one.

Loki returned to the bed, this time just sitting down cross-legged opposite you. You leaned closer and grabbed the braid with the bead on it and saw that the rune was the first letter of your name. It could have been a coincidence, but you had a feeling it wasn’t. It did amuse you that Loki was acting like a, 8th grade girl with a crush though. This seems like a good time to explain what has been going on, you thought to yourself before taking a deep breath.

“Loki, I believe it is my turn to tell you something,” You started, your voice sounding a lot calmer than you actually felt.

“Ah yes, I almost forgot! What happened to you at the Bifrost, Lady Y/n? What did Heimdall call you for?”

“Well I wasn’t called by Heimdall. Well actually he was the one who called for me, yes. But he wasn’t who needed to see me,” you said, aware you were rambling. You mentally cursed yourself for not just being able to say it outright. Loki raised an eyebrow at you, but stayed silent, expecting you to continue. “It was actually an old friend of your mother’s, kind of. Apparently, word has gotten around the galaxy that Asgard is housing a human who can master the Seidr and she came to see for herself. Her name is Infinity, she is a cosmic entity who has some bidding to do on Earth. She’s offered me something in return for taking care of it for her.”

“Wait, a cosmic entity?” Loki asked for clarification. “What can you manage that a comic entity can’t? What can you help her with that she can’t do herself?”

That question had been floating through you mind as well. You had some inklings of why you would have been chosen, “Well I am kind of an oddity aren’t I? A human allowed to be on Asgard, one who has magic known by few on Earth and the Seidr. They might even think I’m some kind prophecy for all I know. I also know Earth rather well and can go between the two worlds as I please.” You realized you were starting to sound defensive so you tried to just change the subject back to the real topic at hand. “Whatever the reason is, she wanted my help and offered me a couple very generous gifts in return. She made me a master of the Seidr. I still need to learn spells and such, but the power I have access to is greater than what I could have managed even after years of learning at your mother’s side.”

“That explains why you were so different when you came back, you seidr was burning so much stronger. It would have been difficult to not notice,” Loki said. “That will aid you a lot in your own endeavors Lady Y/n.”

“There’s more,” you admitted. You looked down at your lap, your hands running along the soft fabric of your dress. “She claimed that giving me full access to my powers wasn’t really a gift. That was more to allow me to fulfill her requests. The gift I was given is my lifespan. Infinity suggested that allowing me to live as long as an Asgardian would be a fitting reward for what she’s asked of me and it might benefit me in more ways than just one.” You paused and looked up, meeting Loki’s eyes only to realize he had been staring at you this whole time. “Your mother may have also made the same suggestion, that this… upgrade would interest you as well?” You tried to sound sure of yourself or nonchalant. Honestly, you had no idea what tone you should when trying to ask Loki if he was interested in you now that you wouldn’t die in a couple decades. There wasn’t exactly a manual for this kind of situation.

“I know I’m the god of mischief, but this is no time for tricks,” Loki said, his voice low, almost threateningly so.

“You think I’m lying? I’m not,” you nearly shouted back. You were shocked that he would even suggest that. “Why would I lie about that?”

Loki didn’t respond to your question. You didn’t want to push him, but the silence was growing longer and longer, getting more and more awkward as it went on.

“I’m not expecting anything from you, you know.” You said, “I don’t think that just because I’m not going to die centuries before you, I suddenly have a chance with you. The Allmother is just very persistent, as I’m sure you know. She believes you are interested in me. And Infinity even thinks we might be… well suited for each other.” Hearing it out loud was very odd and unsettling. You felt your cheeks grow pink. It did seem that fate was hinting that the two of you should get together, but you were in no position to try and force Loki. Now was honestly the worst time for you to suddenly develop a love life.

“I do know how mother can be,” Loki finally said. “I, well I’m not uninterested in you. I don’t even know what I’m saying.” Loki still refused to look at you. He was now picking at his emerald green bed sheets and the realization hit you like a freight train. He is nervous. I’m making Loki, God of lies and mischief nervous.

“You know,” you said, finally building up the courage to say something, “I’m not opposed to the idea either. I know it’s weird that Frigga has been trying to…” You were racking your brain, trying to figure out what term fit the situation the two of you found yourselves in.

Loki interrupted you then, “It’s mortifying really. My mother is trying to set her fully-grown son up on a play date.”

That made you laugh, “I think she’s hoping for more than a play date Loki. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is I’m not opposed either.”

Loki was a stuttering mess as he tried to get his words out, but he finally managed it, “I do like you, but I’m locked up here. What kind of man would I be if I expected you to live your life under house arrest too?” You smiled at him, his concerns were about you and your happiness. How was this the same person who was trying to take over the Earth less than a month ago? No one else would believe it.

“My prince, I’m positive I can find a way to free you.” Loki’s eyes widened considerably. Shock written all over his face at what your suggestion meant.

“You’re going to break me out of my prison?” He asked skeptically.

“Absolutely not! Do you think I’m a criminal? I’m just going to speak with Odin and request that you’re let out, but still kept under a close watch. A parole of sorts.”

Loki chuckled at that, “you actually think he will agree to that?”

“I do,” you said confidently as you stood up, “I have a few tricks up my sleeve as well.” You knew that was a rather cryptic response to leave on, but you grabbed your cane, and walked out before Loki could say anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter please leave a kudos or subscribe! I also love reading comments! Knowing what people are enjoying helps me to know what direction to take the story in when I get stuck and I love reading what people have to say!


	11. Blackmailing the AllFather

You stopped just outside Loki’s door, leaning against it to calm yourself. The last two days had been overwhelming and stressful. So many things have changed, you’ve learned so much and you are tentatively in some sort of complicated relationship with a God. Your eyes were glued on the floor until the guard cleared his throat, just like he had done yesterday.

“Sorry,” you said with an awkward laugh. “I’ve been kind of spacey lately. I should really work on that.” And with that you left, heading back to your room. You found a small platter of assorted foods and a pitcher of mead waiting for you on your desk. It seems Frigga knows me too well, you thought as you poured yourself a glass and popped a grape in your mouth.

“I need to see Nick Fury,” you said aloud to no one. You hoped that talking yourself through what you needed to do next would help. “Then I need to see Odin. I need to confront him about the Library and possibly getting Loki out of his prison sentence.”

You collapsed backwards onto your bed, bouncing a little from the force. Why the hell did I sound so confident about freeing Loki? What am I going to do, threaten Odin? I’m just the first horseman of the apocalypse, I’m not going to physically bring in the Ragnarök. I’m going to get denied immediately and I’ll have to tell Loki I failed him already. Then he’ll want nothing to do with me.

You tried to distract yourself from that train of thought with testing out a few spells of Seidr magic. You reheated your plate of meats instantly. It was interesting, feeling the pull of energy from yourself. It was scary. The idea that if you used to much you might end up on the floor. It was compromising to practice both the mystic arts and seidr magic. They competed against each other within you now that you had full use of your seidr and access to Loki’s as well. “I need to figure out how to balance my powers. I need to go see the Ancient One, she will know what to do,” you added to your growing to-do list.

You had a worrying moment that maybe she wouldn’t know what to do. You were kind of a rare case, you were unsure if any other Masters had attempted to learn Seidr magic as well, or if any others even could. The best you could hope for is that maybe she might suggest someone else who might be able to help.

At that point you decided thinking and stressing yourself out wasn’t going to help you tonight, it was just giving you more concerns. You snapped to turn your lights off and got into a more comfortable position on your bed a drifted off to sleep.

You had hoped you would be able to sleep soundly, but luck didn’t seem to be on your side as of late. You had a vivid dream where you went to see the Ancient One, but when she heard what you had done, that you had learned Seidr and were going to aid Infinity she stripped you of your powers and broke the Staff of the Living Tribunal in half. You cried out and tried to stop her, but she continued yelling at you.

“How can you betray us like this? How can you betray Earth? Helping Hydra create mutants is extremely dangerous. Are you willing to accept the consequences of that?” The Ancient One yelled at you. All you could manage was to shake your head in response. You didn’t know what to do, feeling The Ancient One’s full wrath on you was terrifying.

“You don’t deserve to be called a Master of the Mystic Arts!” She yelled and started stripping away your powers. You tried to run and get away from her, but you knees refused to carry you any further. They dislocated and you fell like a ragdoll. You felt all the pain that the dimensional energy had held back all these years and you couldn’t take it. You tried to use your Seidr to heal yourself, but it wouldn’t work either. You felt no fire within yourself anymore, you were powerless and left to die.

It was at that point you woke up. You shot straight up in your bed, soaked in sweat. The sheets damp as well. You tried to wipe some of it off when you realized you were crying as well. You reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the glass of mead. I wish I had water, but this will have to do I suppose, you thought to yourself, chugging the rest of it down.

You looked out your window and saw that the sun was just beginning to rise. You still felt tired because the sleep you did have was so restless, but you didn’t want to know what you would see if you closed your eyes again so you got dressed in one of the outfits you had packed for yourself when you left Earth. It was a simple long-sleeved, black dress that came down to your mid-thigh, black leggings, and black combat boots. It was December on Earth so it would be chilly, but you also were never one to wear a dress without leggings. It was a force of habit, being told heavy girls shouldn’t show their legs was something you’d grown up hearing and it was just more convenient for fighting, so it had stuck with you ever since.

While on Asgard, Frigga had hinted at it being more fitting for you to wear Asgardian clothes. She was worried your normal Midgardian outfits would draw too much attention to you and put you at risk, but since it was so early in the morning and most people should still be asleep you decided to just wear what you wanted, grabbed your cane allowing it to transform back into a staff, and headed down to the Bifrost.

Heimdall was standing at his post at the Bifrost as always, looking perfectly awake even though it was ungodly early in the morning. “Where to Lady, Y/n?” He asked as you popped out of the portal you had created as a short cut.

“I need to go to Washington DC, S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters,” you told him. You almost stopped to ask him if he ever slept, but before you had the chance you found yourself in a park in front of the S.H.I.E.L.D. triskelion building. It was still very early in the morning so not many people were up, just a few joggers running laps.

You saw one many running faster than the few others. It was almost superhuman. No, you thought as the man came around a corner and you got a better look at his face, it is superhuman, that’s Captain America.

You took a few steps away from crop circle like imprint the Bifrost burned into the ground wherever it transported you and moved closer to the sidewalk Steve Rogers would soon be passing. “Excuse me soldier,” You said as neared you.

He looked confused but stopped in his tracks, looking you over before remembering you. “Y/n, right? I thought you were in Asgard!”

“Fury asked me to check in regularly so, here I am. I wish the entrance wasn’t so flashy though,” you replied, gesturing back at the Bifrost imprint. Steve laughed when he leaned around you and saw the scorched Earth.

“Yeah, that’s not exactly subtle…” He added.

“So, what have you been up to?” You asked shyly. You really didn’t want this interaction to be so awkward. You grew up reading your grandfather’s old Captain America comic books and were a big fan of Steve Rogers.

“Well, Fury put together a small team of people to go searching for the scepter Loki had with him on Stark Tower, it has mysteriously gone missing. And the Smithsonian is wanting to put together an exhibit about me and the Howling Commandos, so I’ve been meeting a lot with experts about my life, which is really weird. It’s kind of scary how much they knew, but they also had a lot of things wrong.” That part caught your interest, you would have too look up when that was opening so you could return to D.C. to see it for yourself. “But mostly, I’ve just been doing a lot of catching up on the last 6 or so decades of pop culture I missed,” Steve said with a bight smile. “I’ve actually had to start keeping a list of what people are suggesting I start with, see?” Steve pulled out a small notebook with a pen tucked into the spiral. It read:

-I Love Lucy

-Moon Landing

-Berlin Wall (Up + Down)

-Steve Jobs (Apple)

-Disco

-Thai Food

-Star Wars

“Oh! You’ve got to add Star Trek to that!” You said when you reached the end of the short list.

“I have Star Wars, is it different?” Steve asked, looking up at you, genuinely confused.

“Very Different!” You told him. “It’s probably more your style that Star Wars is honestly. The Original Series is the best, it started in the late 1960’s. Trust me on this, it’s the best of the whole series!”

“Well with a recommendation like that, I definitely have to add it to the list,” Steve said as he pulled the pen out and put a slash after ‘Star Wars’ and added ‘Trek’. “It was nice seeing you again Y/n. I hope to see you around here again soon.” Steve said sanguinely as he turned to continue his jog.

You were almost so lost in the moment that you forgot at ask him an important question. “Steve! Wait!” you called out. It came out a little louder than necessary, he hadn’t gotten that far away but he turned around with that golden boy smile on his face.

“Yeah?” he said, turning around and jogging in place.

“What floor is Fury’s office on in the Triskelion?” You asked, “I’ve never met him in there before, but he told me to let myself in.”

“48th floor,” Steve replied with a chuckle, “this is a spy thing isn’t it? Nat’s always creeping around too. You guys are all so sneaky!” Steve teased.

You laughed and thanked him, “Have a nice rest of your jog! Hope I didn’t hold you up too much!”

“Not at all,” he said over his shoulder as he turned around, “This is the 18th lap already!”

He really is a superhuman, you thought to yourself as you watched his retreating form. You waited for him to get far enough away before walking behind a tree. Once you made sure no one was around to see you, you made a portal to the 48th floor of the S.H.I.E.L.D. building to let yourself in. You made small puffs of smoke with your seidr magic to hide yourself from appearing on any security cameras you saw before reaching a door with “Director Fury” written on it. You made another portal to get in and saw the room was empty. You were worried you might have beaten Fury in this morning, but you saw the steaming cup of coffee waiting on his desk and knew he would be back soon. You sat down in his plush office chair and turned away form the door to look out at the view of the city. It really was beautiful, you could see the city slowly waking up. Cars on the streets, people heading to work, birds flying about. These simple things are what you had missed while you were in Kamar-Taj and now that you were on Asgard as well.

Your people watching was interrupted when Nick Fury finally reentered his office. He immediately knew there was someone else in the room but didn’t know who. “It’s about time,” you said turning around in the swivel chair to face him. You were honestly a little worried that he would shoot you if you didn’t tell him who you were soon.

“Did you really think it was a good idea to sneak into the world’s best spy’s office.” Fury deadpanned when he saw you sitting there.

“Oh, you should get that put on a mug! World’s best spy,” you said wildly gesturing as you spoke. You stood up from the chair to let him sit down at his desk. “Though I suppose that would be a dead give away that you’re a spy.”

“It’s too early for your spunky attitude Y/n,” Fury said as he took a sip of his coffee. “So, what have you learned so far?”

“Well, for starters Loki isn’t the threat he seems to be.” You watched Director Fury raise an eyebrow at that assessment. “I know what you’re thinking, but he really isn’t an active threat. He’s chaotic, sure, but he isn’t the type to go out of his way to attack another planet. He was being controlled when he attacked New York, at least partially. Basically, when given a choice he will do whatever benefits him most. A lot of these things stem from trauma, so it’s technically treatable. If I can work with Loki and help him get through a lot of it, he could really be a useful asset.”

“I’m going to stop you there,” Fury interrupted. “I don’t think it is wise to consider him a potential ally.”

“You just don’t see what I’ve seen in him yet,” you protested.

“That’s what I’m worried about Y/n…” Director Fury mumbled, starting to worry you would go rogue on him. He had too many things to worry about at the moment, this wasn’t an issue yet so he just pressed on. “Anything else you can tell me? About Thor’s old man or their tech?”

“Well, their military are currently handling multiple uprisings in the other realms, or worlds, that they rule over. After the New Mexico incident and Thor left, their passage between worlds was destroyed and it’s only just gotten back up and running again, so they are dealing with a lot at the moment. Odin has not been one for conquest in the last millennia or two. You need to understand that Asgard is not a threat to us, they will protect us as they have done in the past.” Fury didn’t look convinced, you feel that he had been stabbed in the back a few too many times to trust anyone. “Believe me, please. At Kamar-Taj I learned more about Asgardian history than anyone on Asgard is able to find out about today. What you need to be concerned about is an alien named Thanos. He was behind Loki’s brainwashing and the Battle of New York, he won’t be coming anytime soon, but he is the real threat.”

“Very well, at least we have a name. That’s more than we would’ve if we didn’t have you on our side.” Fury said. The conversation was clearly over, Fury had the information he needed and had multiple tasks at hand, but you had another set of instructions to follow so you leaned closer to ask another question.

“How are things going here on Earth. I spoke to Captain Am- I spoke to Rogers outside and he told me you were still looking for Loki’s scepter?”

Fury kept his head down towards the stack of papers on his desk, but his eye looked up at you. “That’s right. It went missing and we are a little short staffed at the moment.”

“How so?” you asked.

“Well Tony Stark has started inviting terrorists over to his house for brunch.” Fury explained. “One of his guys got attacked and he took it very personally. He’s a little preoccupied at the moment and that means Commander Rhodes is too.”

You were shocked, you were unsure what to say next, but Fury continued and his request couldn’t have been more perfect. “Any chance you could lend us a God?”

“I’ll do you one better, 2 Gods and a Sorcerer.” You offered.

“No, no, no. There are so many problems with that suggestion.” Fury said shaking his head, “where do I even begin? How about that there is no way in hell I’m letting an egomaniac God that just tried to destroy a major urban population back on this planet! And I thought you were supposed to be keeping your whole Master of the Mystic whatever under wraps?”

“Thor’s mother Frigga has been teaching me… Asgardian magic. Basically, what Loki can do and I’ve picked it up quickly. Thor knows that, so whether I use their magic or my own, he can’t tell the difference so my secret is safe,” you tried to explain it as simply as you could to someone who had no idea how the mystic arts or seidr magic worked. “Thor is very sweet, but not the brightest. He’s spent his whole life surrounded by Asgardian magic and can’t tell the difference. As for Loki, I can handle him. He spent the most time with the scepter, he knows it better than any of us. And I’m willing to bet he could find it faster than any of your people could.”

Director Fury looked at you for a long moment. His eye studied your face closely like he was looking for some proof of uncertainty. “Look, I’m only agreeing to your plan because we could really use you and Thor. Against my better judgement, I’m going to trust you on this, but if he steps one toe out of line, I want him gone!”

“Deal,” you said, holding a hand out to shake Fury’s. “I’ll need to go back and talk to the Allfather, but I’m sure I’ll be returning before you know it.” And with that you walked out of Nick Fury’s office and to the elevator. It was a little too late in the morning to use a portal, people were starting to fill the hallways of the Triskelion. Once you were in the elevator you made a portal to an abandoned lot just outside the city where no one would see and you called for Heimdall to bring you back to Asgard. 

You jog towards the center of the circular room as you reenter Asgard.

“Y/n, how was your visit? I expected you to be gone longer,” Heimdall tells you.

“It was very nice and very… informative. I got to talk to a couple people, but decided I needed to come back immediately.” You replied.

“Is Midgard in trouble? Is there a problem you’d like me to keep an eye on for you?” He asked.

You shook your head and said, “They’ve had worse happen to them, but they could use a hand. For the moment things are all right.” You had started to walk away, towards the rainbow bridge, when Heimdall stopped you.

“Wait, Y/n! I nearly forgot that a guard came by looking for you while you were gone. The Allfather has requested you to come see him at your earliest convenience. He has cleared his schedule for the rest of the day.”

“Oh! Thank you Heimdall, this is perfect timing. I actually have another thing added onto my list of things I need to speak to him about, the last one is rather urgent. I’ll head to the palace to see him now,” you declared, making a portal where you stood. You had originally planned to take a calming walk along the bridge back, but you felt like this conversation couldn’t wait any longer. You needed to talk to him about borrowing his sons for a little Midgard mission and you were dying to know why he was hiding so many secrets in his private library.

You stepped through the portal and into the main hall of the palace. I should have asked Heimdall where Odin was before leaving, you thought to yourself as you realized you didn’t know where you were headed. You saw two of the King’s guard doing their hourly patrol of the hall and flagged them down.

“Lady Y/n,” the guard greeted you. He was normally stationed outside Loki’s room in the evenings, but apparently his morning shifts were here. “Is there something you need?”

“Yes actually, I’ve been told the Allfather wants to see me, but I don’t know where he is at the moment.” You explained.

“Ah, he is in his private study just off of his private library,” the guard said. “I will escort you.” He nodded to his companion, who nodded back and continued patrolling. As the two of you started heading up the grand staircase, he kept glancing over to you like you had grown a second head.

“Is there something the matter?” You asked.

The guard seemed embarrassed that he had gotten caught, “It’s nothing, I’ve just… I’ve never seen Midgardian clothes before. You usually dress in the Asgardian clothes the Allmother had made for you. You normally fit in so well here.” You looked down and realized that you in fact were still in your normal clothes and hadn’t thought to change before going to meet with Odin. “Is Midgard similar to Asgard? I’ve never seen a Midgardian before you arrived.”

You smiled at his curiosity, “Asgard is very similar to how Midgard was in the past. Or at least in certain areas. Populations that called the Asgardians Gods created cities and tried to emulate lives similar to here. Many places on Midgard used to have kings and Queens as well so it is not too hard for me to adjust to living here,” you explained.

The guard nodded and looked like he wanted to say more when he realized that they had already made it to the door leading to the private library. He opened the door and held it open for you before rushing to the next door that lead into the study. “Allfather, Lady Y/n has arrived to see you as you had requested,” he announced before quickly backing out of the room and closing the door behind him.

You saw Odin’s eye widen in surprise, he clearly didn’t expect you to come so soon. He was sat by a fire reading a book. You walked over to an arm chair across from Odin as he greeted you, “Hello Lady, Y/n. I hope you are adjusting well to life here on Asgard. Frigga told me you wanted to meet with me?”

He set his book down on a small table next to him, open. It seemed Odin was oblivious to the fact that you could see what was on the pages of his secret books so he placed it open, so you couldn’t see read the spine. You glanced at the book and saw a sketch of a Master of the Mystic Arts doing a spell. You caught a couple words that claimed it was a healing spell, but the mandala was a bit off. The book clearly didn’t have very accurate information, but it appeared Odin was reading up on your abilities,

“I’m doing well Allfather, thank you. I just had a few questions for you,” you said with a kind smile. “I’ve overheard Frigga mentioning a prophecy about my arrival. I just wanted to understand that better and thought you would be the most knowledgeable about it.”

Odin paled instantly, “Well, I’m not sure it is right to worry you about that. It is a tale from far before even my time.”

“Please Odin, I know what it is about, but I need to hear the specifics,” you insisted.

“In the time of my grandfather, King Buri, an ancient cosmic being named Eternity came to him to thank him. You see Eternity and his sister considered the Asgardians their allies. We helped them bring peace to the realms and keep things in order. He had a vision of something terrible befalling Asgard and he wanted to warn us. He told King Buri that one day a Midgardian would appear. They would be well versed in a form of magic unknown here on Asgard, which at the time we didn’t think the Midgardians were capable of any magic. But this person would also have the desire and ability to master the Seidr as well,” Odin explained carefully. “At this point Buri was very interested in meeting such a person, until Eternity said that this person was going to be the start of the Ragnarök, which is the destruction of our world. I’m sure you can understand why you fit this description.”

“I’m sorry, I know I can’t apologize for something that hasn’t happened, but I do feel bad that my existence will cause something so horrible to happen to your people,” you said sadly.

Odin laughed, “Well you see, Asgard isn’t a place. It’s a people. The prophecy said that our world would be destroyed, not that our people would die. Just promise me that when the time comes and the Ragnarök begins that you will help protect my people.”

“Absolutely, of course. You know when I became a Master of the Mystic Arts, I vowed I would protect innocent lives. I extend that to your people as well.” You stated.

“Thank you. Is there anything else you wanted to ask?” Odin asked.

“Yes, actually. Why are you reading a book about the mystic arts?” You asked, pointing at the book.

Odin quickly looks over to the book but saw that it was still open. He holds it up to you and carefully asks, “you, you can see this?” You can hear the shock and uncertainty in his voice.

“I can,” you divulged. “This page is trying to explain how a healing spell is cast, but the mandala in the picture isn’t very accurate, it’s more like this.” As you spoke you held up your hands and moved them to focus the dimensional energy and create the mandala the book was trying to emulate.

Odin tried to mumble out some sort of apology, but you cut him off. “Look, I don’t mind that you’re reading up on my powers, it’s what a smart leader should do when there is a threat, learn about it and understand it. But please know that I don’t intend to cause any issues. That being said, I would like to know why you’ve been lying to your people. So much of Asgard’s interactions with other realms is hidden away in your library. All mention of the mystic arts is in a handful of books. Why?”

“After the Battle of Tønsberg your people asked to remain hidden, they didn’t want to be bothered by outside forces. We thought that the best way to protect you was to not include you in public history. To only be known to the future kings and queens who would respect the choice your predecessors made.” Odin explained.

“Or is it because you didn’t want your people to learn about a prophecy and worry?” You pondered aloud. “That would be valid, but why have you also been lying to them about the battle your father, King Bor, fought on Svartalfheim? I learned Asgard’s history much differently than your people have. You and I both know that Bor couldn’t manage to destroy the Ether and it sits somewhere below us, deep under ground and that the Dark Elves still lurk out somewhere in space, waiting. The masters on Earth have accurate histories that we got from an ancient being, a Watcher, who aided us in understanding the universe so we can better protect our fragile world. You’ve hidden so much from your people and your own family, tell me why Thor and Loki know nothing of Hela?”

“Did you tell either of them about her?” Odin yelled and grabbed hold of your shoulders. “Who did you talk about her with?” His panic and anger flared. His Seidr burned like a wildfire; you could feel heat radiating off him.

“No one,” you said, using a burst of energy to force him to release you. “When I was looking for books in the library, I came across a history book and saw no mention of her. And then I wandered the palace halls and looked at the murals and she is nowhere to be found, so I figured you erased your own daughter from history too,” you defended yourself. You suddenly had an intrusive thought that you couldn’t prevent yourself from voicing. “Is that what you’re going to do to Loki too? Lock him away, pretend that he didn’t exist, and erase any documents about him?”

“STOP!” Odin demanded, his voice booming, you were sure half of the palace probably heard him. He took a moment to compose himself again before speaking. When he finally did his voice was so quiet and calm that it almost scared you more than the yelling. “Hela was a mistake of my own creation. I should have stopped her sooner, trust me when I say you do not know her full story. But now is not the time for that. She is not to be spoken of, please.” Odin says no more, but the pain and finality in his voice makes you pity him and drop the subject. You both sit in an awkward silence to let the moment pass before you try to say anything else.

“There is one last thing Allfather, then I will you be,” you finally added. Odin said nothing but looked at you expectantly. “You see Earth, I mean Midgard, is in need of some assistance. The scepter Loki had when he came has gone missing and I think you would agree that a loose infinity stone left on Midgard is not safe.”

Odin’s eye widened, “That leaves your people very vulnerable. I know what happened when the tesseract fell into the wrong hands. It needs to be recovered. If you are asking permission, you may leave to go assist your sanctum.”

“Actually, as far as I am aware, the masters are not involved in this matter. It is the group Thor allied himself with, the Avengers,” you hinted.

“So, they would like Thor’s help? If he wishes to return to Midgard that is his choice to make. I have no qualms over the matter,” Odin said.

“That’s great, thank you. I will look for him once I leave, but I actually came here to request that Loki be allowed to come as well.” You presented the idea, but Odin immediately shot it down.

“Absolutely not! Loki is not to leave his room, he is a danger!”

“No, he’s not!” You protested, “I really think he could help us. He was the one who brought it, he spent the most time with it. No one knows it better than he does. So, I would be willing to bet he could help us find it better than anyone else. If I was able to get the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., who runs the Avengers, to agree to this plan after Loki just killed 80 people over the span of 2 days, I don’t see why you can’t.”

Odin didn’t respond, he just stared at you, waiting for you to give up.

“I can handle him, you know that. I can read your books, that just proves what I’m capable of. You can feel my Seidr too.”

When Odin still refused to respond you knew you had to approach this differently. “It would be a shame though, if Loki had to stay and I accidentally left a book with information about Hela in his room for him to stumble upon or if I were to accidentally let something slip while I was with Thor…” You knew you were playing a very dangerous game, trying to blackmail the Allfather was probably not recommended, but you needed Loki’s help if you were going to be able to find the scepter and make sure the first task Infinity gave you could be completed.

Odin studies you, trying to judge how serious you are. This went on for several minutes, but you were not willing to admit defeat. In the end, he was not willing to risk his secret getting out and conceded, “I will allow Loki to accompany you and Thor back to Midgard to find the scepter. However, Loki’s powers will need to be suppressed. I will leave you and Frigga to work out to what degree and what spells to use. I also need to know that if the need should arise you could restrain him.”

“That will be no issue, I have an item in mind already that is at the New York sanctum.” You interrupted.

“Very well,” Odin continued. “And lastly as soon as the mission is done you will all return to Asgard, or Loki attempts to betray you, he will return immediately and be placed in the palace prisons.”

“Thank you Allfather,” you said and held out a hand to accept his deal. He shook your hand and you bowed to him, but as soon as your palms touched you could feel his uncertainty. He didn’t know if you should be considered hostile or not, if you were to be trusted or not. He was wary of you now. You had shown him how dangerous you could be without using any powers.

You turn around and leave the library, heading to Loki’s room to tell him the good news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter please leave a kudos or subscribe! I also love reading comments! Knowing what people are enjoying helps me to know what direction to take the story in when I get stuck and I love reading what people have to say!


	12. Return to Midgard

As you head down to Loki’s room to tell him the good news you run past a number of people, dodging out of their way to avoid a collision. But halfway to your destination you sprint past a man with long blonde hair. You do a quick double take to make sure that it is in fact Thor.

You turned around and decided to try to catch up with him and let him know about the Avengers mission and make sure he would agree to help. You tried to follow him, but he was moving a little to quickly through the hallways. He’s so fast, even without Mjolnir flying him around places, you complained to yourself. As soon as the thought is in your mind you find yourself a few yards from where you once were, standing in front of Thor, who had to stop mid step to avoid running into you.

“Lady Y/n, I didn’t see you there,” Thor said, you could hear the confusion and surprise in his voice. “Actually… I thought I had passed you a moment ago and you were heading in the other direction?”

“I was, sorry. I’m still not exactly in full control of my seidr powers yet, I was trying to catch up with you to ask you something, but I focused on it too hard and it seems I was teleported?” You explained, trying to understand what happened yourself. You knew you hadn’t made a portal to get there so that was the only explanation left. “I really need to get better control over them.”

“Well it is quite impressive how quickly you’ve picked the Seidr up.” Thor complimented. “I remember when Loki was still trying to get his powers in order. When we were kids, he would often see something he wanted to play with and mother or father would tell him no, but the object you suddenly be right in front of him before they could do anything.”

You smiled at his story, it seemed Loki had always been a little mischievous. “It’s funny you mention Loki…” You said as you grabbed Thor’s bicep and guided him into a small room where there were no guards or maids to overhear you. “I returned to Earth earlier to meet with Director Fury. To update him on Loki and the status of things here on Asgard. He told me that Loki’s scepter had gone missing and that Tony was a little preoccupied with a… personal matter. He may or may not have given a very dangerous person his home address.”

Thor nodded, “I would be happy to return and help them, since the scepter is a mess my brother created. When shall we go Lady Y/n?”

“Well you see I still haven’t invited the last guest that will be coming with us…”

Thor cocked his head like a confused puppy and asked, “who else is coming?”

“Well, I felt that Loki would be very helpful to bring along,” you said quietly, waiting for an outburst similar to the one Odin had.

However, to your surprise, Thor did not raise his voice. He leaned in closer to you and whispered, “Very funny, but Father would never allow that.”

“Actually, he did, I’m just on my way back from speaking to him about it now. Odin studied my seidr and agreed that I am strong enough to handle him as long as he has some sort of power suppressant, but that shouldn’t be too difficult to arrange with the help of your mother.” You told Thor.

“My answer is still a yes. I will need to help you keep an eye on Loki.” Thor said. He paused for a moment and studied you before speaking again. I can see that you think you know him. And I want to believe that Loki is opening up to you, but I’m saying this as his brother and to protect you Lady Y/n. You shouldn’t trust Loki so readily. I say this as the person he has stabbed in the back, figuratively and quite often literally. I don’t want to see him hurt you.”

You didn’t know what to say. Thor sounded so sincere, and you knew he was speaking honestly. He would have no ulterior motive, he was genuinely worried that you were falling for Loki and Loki was going to use you. And he was partly right, at least you hoped it was only partly right. “We’ll head to the Bifrost around midday tomorrow, I’ll see you then.” Thor agreed and with that you left him standing in that room and continued on your original path to Loki’s room.

When you reach Loki’s door you see the guard that brought you to Odin. You greet him with a hello and he smiles and nods back. You’ve very excited to see Loki’s reaction to the news. You had just promised him last night that you would get him out of his sentence and you had already made good on it. Even he would have to admit that was impressive. Without thinking you just opened the door and entered Loki’s room.

You froze just after closing the door behind you because when you looked up to see Loki you saw that he had just come out of the shower. He was pulling a tunic over his head and you were speechless. It was a little embarrassing, but you had never seen a god shirtless and now you understood the term ‘god-like’. His muscles were understated, he was toned. Like his muscles were carefully sculpted, but not as bulky as Thor. His hair was the second thing you noticed. It was still half damp and a little messed up from being roughly towel dried.

“Y/n?” Loki asked once he had the shirt on properly and saw you standing there. “Has my body stunned you into silence?” You could hear the ego boost you were giving him in his tone. That snapped you out of it.

“Shut up,” you mutter. “I’ve come to let you know I’ve freed you!”

“Very funny, I didn’t know you were practicing to entertain the court.” Loki said as he sat down at his vanity and ran a hand over his head like he was fixing his hair, instantly drying his hair.

“Nope,” you reply, plopping down on his bed behind him so he could watch you from the mirror. “Tomorrow you will be assisting me and Thor with a little mission back on Midgard. Your scepter has gone missing and the Avengers are a little short staffed at the moment so they asked for a helping hand. I managed to convince Nick Fury, you remember him, right? Eyepatch? The guy you tried to kill as soon as you arrived on Midgard. I managed to convince one of your would-be victims and your father to let you come help because you should know the scepter best. If this goes well, I feel pretty hopeful that I can convince Odin to release you permanently. Frigga and I will have to suppress your powers before we go though, as per Odin’s stipulations.”

When you finished talking you looked up, expecting Loki to be very proud and thank you, at the very least a somewhat heartfelt compliment. But the reflection you saw in the mirror was anything but positive. Loki looked lost in thought, you could see a tinge of fear in the way he refused look up. You walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“What’s wrong? I thought you would be happy to get out of this room…” You were suddenly unsure about everything. Was he lying yesterday when he said he was interested in me? I knew a god would never be interested in someone who looks like me. He could have anyone, why would he settle for a fat girl who wouldn’t be able to walk if it weren’t for magic?

Loki turned to you suddenly and held your hand, like he could feel the negativity and worry radiating from you, which you wouldn’t be surprised if he could. “I’m worried about being near the scepter. I don’t want to lose myself again.” Loki turned away from you again but kept a hold of your hand. You could tell he felt embarrassed and panicked at the prospect of possibly falling under Thanos’s control once more.

You bent down so you were eye level with Loki and wrapped your arms around him. “I swear to you that I won’t let anything like that happen. You don’t have to touch the scepter at all once we find it.” Loki relaxes slightly in your arms so you decide to take a chance and press a feather-light kiss to the top of his head. He smelled like sandalwood and something that had a warm and spicy scent you couldn’t quite name.

“So, I’m a good guy now?” Loki asks. “I’m an avenger?” He felt better knowing that you listened to his concerns and ensured him that he wouldn’t have to be near the scepter.

“Well, yes and no…” You replied. Loki looked over his shoulder and shot you a questioning look. “The scepter is a key element in the first of Infinity’s requests, so I was hoping you would know some way to track it down. Regardless of how it is found we have to make sure we find it before the others do because I will have to go in and handle some business first. Then the next day or so we can tell the others and actually collect the scepter.”

“Will we be bringing it back to Asgard?” Loki asked.

You bit you lip and considered your options. You hadn’t exactly thought about what to do with the mind stone after you helped Hydra create the enhanced twins like you were instructed. Bringing it to Asgard was a bad idea because there were already two infinity stones in Odin’s vault. Keeping three in one place was asking for trouble. “We’ll see when the time comes, I suppose,” you thought aloud.

“Okay, I’ll trust you.” Loki said as he stood up, “Thank you for getting me out of here, I don’t know how much longer I could spend in here.” He turned around and held you close for a moment before you had to pull away. If the three of you were going to be returning to Midgard you still had a couple things to handle.

“I need to go find Frigga so we can figure out how to suppress your powers but still have you be strong enough to help us fight. I’ll see you in the morning, remember to pack a small bag of stuff. I don’t know how long this will take to handle,” you told Loki as you headed toward the door.

Before you could leave Loki stopped you. “One last request, please keep the big green one as far away from me as possible. I still have the occasional nightmare about being smashed around, to and fro.”

“I’m sure Dr. Banner will be so disappointed to hear that!” You announced. “I’ll let them know, but no promises.” And with that you walked out of the room.

Once on the other side of the door you turned to the guard, “Thank you for helping me find the Allfather earlier.”

“T’was nothing Lady Y/n,” he insisted. “I was happy to help.”

“Would you happen to know where the Allmother is now as well?” You asked hopefully.

The guard thought for a moment before replying. “She should be in the garden on the second-floor balcony.” You thanked the guard once again and hurried off, up the stairs, to the second floor.

When you got to the door leading to the balcony you opened it quietly and saw Frigga lounging on a bench with plus cushions. “Hello Lady Y/n,” Frigga called out as soon as you walked out. She was facing the other direction and had her eyes closed but she could sense your seidr coming. “Did you go meet with Odin, dear?”

“I did, and it went really well. So well in fact that I’m going to need your help with something.”

“And what would that be?” Frigga asked, sitting up, her interest piqued.

“Well Midgard is in need of assistance and Odin has approved my request to take Thor and Loki to help on the condition that Loki be given some type of Seidr suppressant,” you explained. “I have an issue with that though. Loki will still need to be able to fight if we need him to so he can’t be completely suppressed. He’ll need to have access to more of his powers than he does now locked up in his room. Is there any type of spell that will allow me to adjust how much of his power he can use?”

Frigga thought for a moment before an idea popped into her mind. “Follow me,” she commanded as she got up walked back into the palace and up a set of stairs you hadn’t noticed before.

“Where are we going?” you asked her as the stairs brought you to a small hallway with a single door at the other end. Frigga didn’t answer you question until she had opened the door, showing you crates upon crates of items.

“These are where I keep all of my boys’ old things. I couldn’t bear to part with anything from their youth so I’ve had them stored away here,” Frigga confessed. She walked over to a small desk on the far side of the room and pulled out Loki’s horned helmet. “I had put this away in here already because I didn’t think he would have much use for it in the near future. Please return this to him” Frigga blew the thin layer of dust that had started to accumulate on the helmet and handed it to you before rummaging through the box again. “Aha, here!”

Frigga pulled out Loki’s forearm guards and handed them to you. “This is what we will enchant! Loki usually keeps on his armor because he likes to be prepared and it was crafted to be very light and not restrict him. If we enchant one of them and connect it to a bracelet that you would wear, you could allow him access to however much of his Seidr you feel is necessary. You could restrict it when there is no danger, but when out on an actual mission just give him free reign and trust.”

“I think that is a brilliant idea Allmother, but I don’t own a bracelet that we could enchant and pair with Loki’s armor,” You admitted.

“I have plenty of excess jewelry, I’ll give you something.” Frigga decided as she was about to lead you out. She stopped suddenly and asked you, “we are just heading to my quarters, would you… prefer to make a portal to save time?”

You smiled and nodded. You loved that Frigga was entertained and mystified by the mystic arts. Early on in your training sessions she would ask you to do different spells because she thought the mandala patterns were beautiful. You held up both hands and rotated one in a circle in front of the two of you until the sparking ring opened up and revealed Frigga’s room.

Frigga smiled brightly as she stepped into her own room and brought you to a large closet with thousands of outfits, shoes, and accessories. She showed you a large case of bracelets ranging from delicate thin chains to wider, more ornate bangles. A shining gold one immediately caught your eye. It was a simple wide cuff-like bracelet with a braided pattern all around a Yggdrasil tree in the center. “This one is beautiful,” you gasped and pointed to it.

“You have good taste,” Frigga teased as she pulled it out and slipped in on to your wrist. “I wore this the day I married Odin. I would be happy knowing it belongs to you now.”

“I don’t know what to say,” you were stunned into silence that Frigga would want to give you something so special and important. You were just a Midgardian, you represent the beginning of the end of her whole world. “Thank You.”

“There’s no need to thank me dear, it is the least I can give to you. You’ve helped my son so much and his happiness is priceless to me,” Frigga said kindly. “And speaking of my son, have there been any… developments in your relationship?”

You had to laugh at her persistence, she was really devoted to the idea of you and Loki being good for each other. The humor of the situation keeping you from blushing in embarrassment, “If you must know yes, there has been a slight development,” you confessed, “but this mission is really going to be a trial run for us, I think. If things go well and we can prove to Odin that Loki can be trusted and not be locked up indefinitely I think there is a chance for something like what you’re hoping for.”

Frigga was happy to hear that. After she easily enchanted the bracelet and arm guard you parted ways and you returned to your room to pack a small backpack with a couple changes of clothes. You set Loki’s helmet down on your bed while you looked through your clothes. You decided to bring your battle gear with you and if Thor questioned you, you could claim Frigga had made it at your request. It was what you had been wearing when you first met Loki, a red hooded dress, dark grey leggings, the combat boots you were currently wearing, and gold leg harnesses. You had enchanted the leg harnesses to constantly keep energy flowing to your knees so that even if you were in a dangerous situation your magic could always be focused where it needed to be to allow you to keep walking and jumping around.

You also decided that you would allow the Staff of the Living Tribunal to remain as a staff. There was no reason for it to be disguised as a cane any longer, you could just tell everyone that you transformed it into a staff. Now that it was known that you could do magic, things were getting much simpler. Technically I’m still lying, you thought to yourself, but at least this way I’m only lying about how I can do these things and not that I can do them entirely. Still not the ideal situation to be in, but it’s definitely an improvement.

You glanced over at Loki’s helmet and smiled. “God this thing really does look ridiculous,” you said to yourself. You walked over to where you had left it on the bed and picked it up, walking over to the mirror to try it on. It was a little to big for you and the weight caused it slid down over your eyes. “It’s stupidly heavy too,” you observed. “The design of this is absolutely awful, maybe I can surprise him with a little upgrade later…”

As you removed the helmet you actually took a moment to notice that the sun had already set. You knew you should get to sleep, because tomorrow would be overwhelming. You would have to gather Thor and Loki and go to Midgard, where you would be confronted by a whole new set of people. However, unlike Odin, these people had just fought with Loki, recently and personally. You knew it would not be so easy to convince them, you couldn’t just blackmail the Avengers the way you did with Odin. It would take more to convince them that Loki was not the villain they thought he was. You would also need to make sure no one would suspect you were in a newly formed and extremely complicated relationship with Loki. If anyone thought there was something going on between you two, not only would Fury probably try to prevent you from returning to Asgard, but the others would just think he had tricked you and you were under his control.

Are you sure you’re not being tricked though? A voice in the back of your mind questioned. You know that everything you’re doing goes against what you had vowed to the Ancient One, to the Masters back at Kamar-Taj.

You shook your head, pushing the thoughts out of your head. You knew Loki wasn’t lying, his Seidr stayed steady the whole time you were with him earlier. Everything was fine, everything would continue to be fine; at least you hoped it would. And with that final thought you laid down in bed, because you were exhausted from not getting enough sleep the night before. You shut your eyes and prayed you would get a solid night’s rest finally.

When you woke up you realized that it was mid-morning. You did manage to get about seven hours of sleep, but you knew you had some kind of nightmares. You couldn’t remember any specifics but you recalled some kind of tormented dreams and fear when you woke up. I don’t have time to sit around you decided as you got out of bed and got dressed. There were a few things that needed to get done today before you could return to Earth.

First of all, you needed to eat breakfast. Then you’d need to give Loki his helmet and make sure he put on the power suppressant armor before meeting up with Thor and heading to the Bifrost. Deciding that you needed to get a move on with today, you got out of your warm bed and put on the outfit you had been wearing when you arrived on Asgard; the S.H.I.E.L.D. T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and a cardigan, but you wore an Asgardian cloak over it all to avoid drawing too much attention to yourself.

You liked to believe that you were fitting in well at the palace. Granted, you didn’t look like the other skinny maidens that hung around to entertain the elite members of the upper class, but you didn’t think that you stuck out. Asgardians and Humans looked exactly the same so it’s not like they could point you out based on physical appearance alone. You didn’t want to make a spectacle of yourself so you actively tried to blend in as best you could. Yesterday you were still wearing a dress at least, but a shirt and jeans you felt was a little too informal. However, once you were back on Earth, if you were wearing the long, multi-layered dresses made of exquisite materials commonly used on Asgard, you would look like you were heading to a renaissance fair.

These thoughts clouded your mind as you came down the stairs, but when you entered the dining hall and saw Thor sitting at a table with Sif and the Warriors Three you had intended to just grab some food and eat quietly while thinking about all the different outcomes that could come of this scepter mission. That is until Thor saw you too and loudly invited you to eat with them. You nodded and grabbed a plate before joining them.

“Hello,” you said to them all before sitting down. “I wasn’t aware that the lot of you had returned from the other realms.”

“Hello Lady Y/n,” Fandral greeted. “Thor was just telling us that he would be leaving today to go to Midgard to help you with a quest! Is there any chance that you might need more assistance, perhaps from an incredible handsome and brave man, such as myself?”

Sif rolled her eyes and you snorted, trying to keep a straight face as you replied, “Thank you Fandral, but I do believe that Thor, Loki, and I will be enough help to the Avengers.”

“So, it is true!” Volstagg interrupted, “You are bringing Loki back to Midgard with you!”

“We thought Thor was jesting when he told us,” Hogun added.

You smiled and shook your head, “No, Loki is coming too. I trust that he can help us and wants to.”

“You’re foolish to trust him so easily,” Sif says before taking a sip of her drink. “Prince Loki does not care about the destruction or casualties he causes on his way to the top.”

That offended you. Loki wasn’t there to defend himself and no on else knew his exact motivations for the things he had done in the recent past besides you. “I’m aware you all have known him much longer than I have, but I wholeheartedly believe that he is not as terrible as you think he is.”

You watched Sif’s facial expression morph from confusion, to shock, and then to one of pity. “It’s a dangerous game you’re playing, Midgardian.”

Sensing the tension between the two of you, Thor cleared his throat before changing the topic. He asked Hogun about the status of things on Vanaheim. This also distracted Volstagg and Fandral, but Sif stayed quiet and watched you closely. Her prying eyes were unnerving so as soon as your plate was finished you stood up and announced, “I’m going to go make sure Loki is ready to go.”

“Wait Y/n,” Thor said as he stood up with you, “We will be leaving soon anyway, I will join you.” The two of you said your goodbyes to Sif and the Warriors Three before heading to Loki’s room. Once you left the dining hall Thor turned to you and apologized. “I’m sorry about Sif, she will hold a grudge against someone until the end of time. She is still angry that Loki betrayed Asgard. I too believe my brother is not as bad as he seems to others. Thank you for giving him this chance.”

“Thank you, I’m hoping that bringing Loki to Earth will help clear his name. So he can redeem himself.” You explained to Thor. The two of you were just about to turn down the hall leading to Loki’s room when you realized that your backpack, the bracelet and arm guard, and Loki’s helmet were all in your room still. “Crap…” you muttered as you stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Thor asked.

“I forgot a couple of things, give me a moment.” You stated as you held up your hands, holding two fingers and a thumb on the hand that you wore your sling ring on and made small circular motions until a small portal appeared. You reached your arm through and grabbed your backpack, which you threw over your shoulder, under your cloak, before going back you grab Loki’s helmet and the bracelet and armor. You handed Thor the helmet and saw his surprised expression.

“I’ve never seen my mother or brother do anything like that.” Thor whispered to himself.

“Oh, um,” you nervously stuttered, “well it’s nothing really. Seidrs differ greatly so some can perform spells that others cannot. That’s how the Allmother explained it to me at least. Let’s continue on, we should be leaving soon.” You said as you slipped the bracelet onto your wrist and closed the portal. Thor paused for a moment before accepting your explanation and following you down the hallway.

You greeted the guard, not the one you had sort of befriended unfortunately, at the door before knocking and warning, “Loki? Thor and I are here, are you ready?”

“Of course I am,” Loki said as he opened the door. “It’s good to see you Lady Y/n. Brother.”

“It’s good to see you Loki,” Thor said with a smile. “Here, your helmet.” Loki stared at Thor for a moment before reaching out and accepting it. You almost laughed at how they interacted. It really was like watching a golden retriever and a cat being put in a room together.

Before it could get any more awkward you cleared your throat, drawing Loki’s attention to you. “Loki, I’ll need you to wear these as well,” you said as you held up the arm guards. “They’ve been enchanted and paired to this bracelet that I will be wearing. I can control the amount of your Seidr you’ll have access to. You’ll need to keep them on for the duration of the mission.”

Loki nodded, before walking closer to you and offering both wrists up to you. “Give me a hand, will you?” he asked. You agreed and helped him put the guards on. Loki observed you for a moment before thinking to you, you seem uneasy, are you all right?

I’m fine, you assured him, just had an interesting conversation with Thor’s friends earlier, it’s nothing to worry about. We have bigger things on the horizon.

Loki nodded slightly and when he saw you had finished with the armor he turned back to Thor. “Shall we get going?”

“Yes, yes we should.” You said and turned back to the door, motioning for the two of them to follow; you walked out with Loki and then Thor behind you. Once you were in the hallway the guard stopped you.

“Loki isn’t to leave.” He declared.

“No, I have word from Odin that he is allowed to leave with me.” You explained. The guard resisted, claiming he had not been told anything about this. Thor then steps in to vouch for you and argue with the guard.

“You expect her to go find the Allfather and bring him here to personally tell you that she is allowed to take Loki?” Thor asked, his tone threatening.

“Well, no, but…” The guard started to say, but trailed off, not knowing what he to do.

“If you are arguing this isn’t allowed, why did you already break the rules of Loki’s containment? Only I am supposed to be allowed through this door, but you let Thor in with me not even ten minutes ago without question.” You pointed out.

“You really think that if Odin wasn’t allowing this that we would get anywhere?” Thor added, “Heimdall wouldn’t allow us to use the Bifrost. If we were committing treason we wouldn’t get very far.”

It seemed that the mixture of you and Thor intimidating this poor guard was too much for him. He looked panicked before finally giving in and with that the three of you walked out the front doors of the castle where three horses were waiting with stable attendants. You slowed your steps as you tried to figure out how you would even get on a horse, let alone manage to not fall off halfway there.

“Lady Y/n, I’m assuming you don’t know how to ride horseback?” Thor questioned.

“No, I’m afraid I do not,” you agreed.

Thor mounted his horse and held a hand down to you, “Here, join me then.” You glanced at Loki who was watching the interaction closely. Loki scoffed when you reluctantly took Thor’s hand and got on the horse behind him.

Calm down, you thought to Loki, Thor is just helping me get to the Bifrost. This is nothing.

Sure, Loki replied back. You could hear the annoyance in his thoughts so you decided to push him a little more. You stuck your tongue out at him and smiled as you wrapped an arm around Thor’s waist.

Meanwhile, Thor was oblivious, asking the attendants to return the third horse to the stable and that these two horses could be collected later from Heimdall at the Bifrost before cueing the horse to move forward with the reigns. Loki followed suit.

Wait until I get you alone later, Loki thought to you mischievously.

As lovely as that sounds, I don’t think that is the best idea while we are trying to lay low, you cautioned. You’re going to be the center of attention when we arrive and it wouldn’t surprise me if they wanted to keep a close eye on you for the first couple days.

You knew Loki wanted to say something else, but before you knew it you were at the Bifrost. Loki had quickly dismounted his horse and was at your side, offering you and hand to get down. You smirked at him as you accepted the hand and he gave it a gentle squeeze.

Once you had gotten off, Thor also swung a leg over and hopped down from the saddle. “Heimdall, we wish to go to Midgard,” Thor announced.

Heimdall looked from Thor, to Loki, and his eyes finally settled on you. You knew what he was asking so you just nodded before explaining. “Odin has approved, but it seems he conveniently forgot to let anyone else know. You may take a moment to ask him if you’d like.”

Heimdall took a step closer to you and watched you carefully. He was reading your body language, your seidr, and you expected he was even searching your mind. I hope you know what you’re doing. Heimdall thought to you.

I do, you mentally promised, this is part of Infinity’s plan and I honestly trust loki.

“You’re free to pass.” He finally announced, “Where to?”

You thanked him with a small nod, “Washington D.C, the top of the Triskelion building if you can manage it.” Heimdall made a small grunt of affirmation before wishing you all a safe journey and putting the sword in and turning it to activate the Bifrost and send you on your way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter please leave a kudos or subscribe! I also love reading comments! Knowing what people are enjoying helps me to know what direction to take the story in when I get stuck and I love reading what people have to say!


	13. At Avengers Tower

The three of you arrive on top of the Triskelion and you see the Bifrost markings burned into the roof of the building. You mentally note that you’ll need to apologize to Fury about that later before you step away from Thor and Loki to make a portal into his office.

“Knock Knock,” you say as you walk through the portal and gesture for Thor and Loki to follow you. You saw a very surprised Steve Rogers and a mildly intrigued Nick Fury. “You said you could use a little help so I brought myself and two of Asgard’s best decided to come along too,” you joked.

“You’re just in time,” Fury says as he stood up and walked around his desk to stand in front of you. “Captain Rogers was just updating me on the current situation and what we already know. He was just about to head back to New York right now to regroup with the others. I’m sure he would be happy to brief the three of you on the way.” Fury looked at Loki and held a hand out for him to shake, which Loki just stared at, before continuing, “And I’ve heard Agent Y/l/n thinks you can be of help to us. For her sake, I hope she’s right.”

Loki was about to roll his eyes and say something you could only guess would be at least mildly rude, so you cleared your throat to draw attention back to yourself. “Let’s get a move on then. There are wars all across the nine realms that could really use Thor and I’ve managed to pull him away for a while. He’s a hot commodity on Asgard too you know!”

Thor laughs and pats you on the back and agrees, “Yes Captain, let’s get moving.”

Steve nods and opens the door, holding it open for you. “That 40’s charm is timeless,” you joke to Steve before walking out, Loki following closely behind you. Too close behind you really, if you slowed your pace even marginally, he would run into you.

Side-stepping slightly to walk next to him instead you glance at him before deciding to mentally communicate with Loki, penny for your thoughts?

What?, Loki thinks back to you.

Sorry, it’s a Midgardian saying. It’s just a way of asking what’s on your mind,” you explain.

It’s nothing. I just feel like they are expecting me to betray them, like they want me to. Loki thought to you as the four of you stepped on to the Elevator.

They don’t, I promise. They’re just worried, I mean you don’t exactly have the best track record here. You hoped the joking would help, but the lack of response you got didn’t look promising. You were stepping out into a small jet hanger and Steve was leading you all to a quinjet nearby. Look, we all just want to find the Scepter and make sure everyone is safe. You know this would also fix things back in Asgard for you if-

You were cut off mid-sentence by Steve, who stopped and opened the rear door to let you all in. Loki and Thor headed up, but Steve stopped you and pulled you aside for a moment to talk. “So… I need you to tell me honestly, do you really think bringing Loki back here was a good idea? I thought Thor said he was going to face ‘Asgardian justice’ or something.”

You placed a hand on Steve’s arm to keep him from speaking too loudly. “Loki is a victim too. What happened on Earth wasn’t all him. That scepter is dangerous and he wants to keep the wrong people from getting their hands on it as much as we do. I trust him.”

Steve considered your words for a moment before accepting it, “Okay, I just can’t promise how the others will react.”

“I can also control his magic with this,” you added, holding up your wrist with the bracelet on it. “Queen Frigga, Thor and Loki’s mother, has been teaching me some magic and I’ve gotten pretty good, pretty fast. She helped me enchant this bracelet to keep him in line if anything happens, but I don’t plan on needing to use it.”

The two of you walk up the ramp of the quinjet and he takes his seat as pilot while you sit down next to Loki. Steve takes off and flies out of the hanger before getting to an altitude where he can set it to autopilot and turns around to talk to all of you.

“So,” Steve starts, “right after the battle ended S.H.I.E.L.D. had eyes on the scepter that was left on the roof of Stark Tower, which is currently being renovated and will become Avengers Tower. Somehow, between regrouping and capturing Loki, the scepter disappeared and we don’t have any leads. All we can tell is that it isn’t in New York. Bruce has been trying to pinpoint radiation to track it with, but we don’t know what exactly we are looking for or what the stone in the scepter is.”

“It’s very similar to the tesseract,” Loki interjects.

“So, we can search for gamma radiation?” Steve asks.

“Probably, I’m not sure how to find it with your Midgardian technology, but I can try to search for it with my Seidr, let it feel out the power it was once bound by.”

Steve looks to you, eyebrow raised. You hold up a hand to him and said, “I will help Loki with that, it can be very dangerous to do alone. This is why I insisted Loki come back with us, with his help we can find the scepter much faster than if we had to do it ourselves.”

Steve thanks Loki for his help, which thoroughly surprises Loki, before there is a beep from the cockpit alerting him that it is time to land. The quinjet is parked on the top of Stark Tower and it gives you a chance to look at the destruction. The city below is a still a mess, buildings are broken and rubble lies all over the streets. On Stark Tower only the ‘A’ still is on the building and many of the windows are covered with tarps. You glanced at Loki, who was also looking out at what he had done. When he noticed you watching him he looked down, refusing to meet your eye.

“The lower floors and basement levels weren’t too damaged so we’ve set up camp there for now.” Steve explains as he leads you inside the top floor and to an elevator that would take you down to where the others were waiting.

Loki winced as he passed the dented spots on the floor where he had been smashed around by the Hulk. You held in a laugh and brushed your hand against his secretly. I still think it was kind of funny, you thought to him.

Maybe from where you were hiding… Loki replies.

The elevator takes you to the tenth floor and opens to a large living room area where you see the back of Clint and Natasha’s heads. They turned when they heard the elevator, expecting to see Steve alone. Natasha was already saying something teasingly when her eyes locked on Loki and immediately got in a defensive position.

Clint took a moment longer to do the same. He cursed when he tried to reach for his bow, only to see it leaned up against the bar on the other side of the room.

Thor walked out happily, not seeming to care about the intensity of the situation. “Lady Natasha, it is good to see you again. I didn’t think I would be back to see you so soon. How have the two of you been?”

Steve shakes his head with a smile before stepping out in front of you and Loki to calm things down. Loki had also taken a defensive position, you could feel his Seidr preparing to block an attack. You turned your wrist slightly to block more of his powers. “Relax,” you whispered to him. You twisted a small healing mandala in your other hand and hovered over his. You could hear his mind try to argue with you before he became peaceful. Now he was yelling at you very calmly, which you found highly amusing.

“Listen, Y/n has brought Thor and Loki to help us. Loki thinks he can find the scepter with… magic. He’s the best chance we have right now.” Steve said, trying to calm the two spies.

Clint relaxed his stance slightly, but Natasha refused to budge. “How do we know he isn’t here to finish the job?” She asked.

Steve wasn’t sure how to answer. He knew the logistics because you had just explained it to him, but you knew he honestly didn’t understand how to explain the magic he had just seen. Trying to figure out the new technology everywhere was probably stressful enough and then to add the supernatural in was probably his limit. Before stepping forward you turned your wrist the opposite way to give Loki access to most of his power.

“I can stop him if we need to. Loki bring that glass on the bar over here,” you told him. Loki held up a hand and the glass rose from the bar top and flew into his hand effortlessly. “Send it back.” Loki gave you a quick look to let you know that he wasn’t appreciating the little magic show you were forcing him to put on before he tossed the glass in the air and held his hand out flat. It started to fly itself back to the bar when you started turning your wrist. Loki struggled to keep it floating, his hand shaking with the effort he was putting into the simple action. Then you cut off his Seidr almost entirely and the glass fell to the floor and shattered. Loki’s arm dropped to his side and he grunted in annoyance.

“See, nothing to worry about,” you said as you gave Loki access to his seidr again. Natasha seemed to accept this and relaxed enough that she sat down again, this time on the other side of the couch so she could still face you.

She gestured to the spot where she and Clint had previously been sitting. You look at Loki, who gestures for you to go first. You walk around the couch and sit down, Loki sits down closely beside you. Natasha asks how exactly Loki plans to find the scepter, so Loki starts explaining to her and Clint the process of how the Seidr can search it out when you hear the elevator ding again.

“Is Cap back? I could really use a hand with moving something. I think the tools I need are behind a beam that fell from the…” Bruce said as he walked out of the elevator to see the group of you all sitting on the couch.

Loki turns to look at who is joining them and freezes. He nearly pushes you in front of him like a human shield. What a gentleman, you think and you roll your eyes. You stand up and walk over to Bruce to shake his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you properly Dr. Banner. Steve can fully catch you up while he’s helping you, but we’re here to help find the Scepter.”

“Thank you… Y/n right? You can call me Bruce. And we could use all the help we can get so welcome aboard.” Bruce tells you.

“Thank you, I think it’s best for Loki and me to get settled and start working on pinpointing where the scepter is. What floor is empty?” You ask.

“Um, the seventh floor should be entirely empty and have a couple bedrooms,” Steve says. “Tony was supposed to be staying there, but since he isn’t around you can stay there.”

You thank them all and ask Loki to come with you. He warily walked past Bruce, keeping a close watch on him until he was safely beside you in the elevator. You tried to suppress a laugh as you watched him and then pressed the button for the second floor.

As soon as the doors shut you let the laugh out. Loki glared at you, “I told you I didn’t want to be near him!”

You took his hand and rubbed a thumb over his knuckles. “Bruce can control himself, he’s harmless.”

“Harmless my ass…” Loki muttered as the elevator opened and you pulled him by the hand down the hall to the bedrooms.

You tossed your backpack and staff on a chair in the corner of the room before sitting on the bed and crossing your legs. Loki sits across from you. “I’m assuming my mother didn’t teach you how to search for something with your Seidr” Loki asks.

“I’ve searched with dimensional energy, but no, you’re going to have to explain as we go.”

“Well it’s simple darling. You just need to hold my hands to allow me access to your Seidr. In ancient times masters of the Seidr would get together in a large group to search out enemies. It’s very draining so it is better to share the burden with as many people as possible, the more compatible the Seidrs are the safer it is for those involved.” Loki explained to you as he placed his hands palm up on his knees. You took his hands in yours as he continued. You knew that this would probably end up being very efficient method to find the scepter. Infinity had already connected your Seidrs together so they must be very compatible. “I remember once I ran away from the palace when I was a teenager and mother and fa-, mother and Odin had to search out my Seidr to find where I had ran off to. I managed to escape all the way to Vanaheim that night.”

“You are the God of mischief after all,” you replied softly.

“Yes, well let’s get started,” Loki said. “Just focus on your Seidr and let it flow and grow freely, don’t try to contain it.” You closed your eyes and did as Loki asked. You felt the fire building up between the two of you, the flames growing stronger and stronger. As soon as your Seidr was free it was immediately drawn to Loki’s, the fires easily combining together and becoming one.

Then Loki took control, guiding the combined Seidrs and spreading them out into the world around you. It searched like a hound for the energy of the scepter. It felt like it went on for hours, but you knew it was only minutes. Even though your combined Seidrs were very powerful and they scoured the planet, you came up empty. You were getting more and more exhausted by the minute, Loki was aware of this, he could feel you fading, so released you and your Seidr zipped back into you. Loki moved closer to you and held you as you recovered.

“Do you want me to go back upstairs and get you water?” Loki offered. “That really weakened you.”

You heard his concern and smiled. You gathered as much dimensional energy as you could, lazily forming a glowing red mandala. It was sloppily formed, but it was still a healing spell so you held it up to your chest and instantly started feeling stronger. “I’ll be okay, thank you.” You told him as you lied down properly on your side facing Loki. “I just need to rest for a minute.”

Loki scooted down a bit on the bed to lie down next to you. “I’m honestly at a loss,” Loki sighed. “Our Seidrs were so powerful together, they fit together like puzzle pieces. Whatever they are using to mask it is incredibly effective.”

“Well it actually was helpful, I noticed the Seidrs circled around Europe and Asia a lot. I think that is a good place to start the search. We narrowed it down quite a bit. I haven’t even tried searching it out with my ‘party trick’ yet.” You joked.

“You really need to let that go, I said it one time.” Loki said with a smile. “Do you want me to leave so you can do… whatever you need to do? I’m a bit out of my element with your form of magic.”

“Actually, could you stay?” You asked nervously. “I have to meditate to search for it and…”

Loki cut you off, “so you want to braid my hair again?”

You laughed and nodded as you sat up and crossed your legs. “It shouldn’t take long, I promise. Also, don’t be concerned by anything I do while I’m searching. It will look a little weird, but it’s fine.” Loki moved so his head was on your lap and you ran a hand softly through his hair before closing your eyes and focused on the scepter.

Searching for something with dimensional energy was difficult. Whether it was through time or space it was dangerous to do. You’d seen many masters get lost while searching. It was actually quite similar to how you meditated. You needed to let your spirit float off and scan through places. It would be moving along at an unbelievable speed, but you could see everything in slow motion. You decided to start your search in Europe and move east, carefully combing through all the Hydra bases you could find. You were grateful that Infinity told you that Hydra had stolen it, but she could have made things so much simpler if she’s given you an exact location too.

You could feel the residual energy the scepter had left in places it had been recently. You followed the trail from location to location, from Germany to Southern Europe until you reached a small country on the border of Europe and Asia, Sokovia.

The facility was hidden away in an old castle. After finding the scepter you saw that they had two people in cages, a boy and a girl, who looked to be around the same age. You assumed that these were the twins. You were about to return to your body now that you knew where you needed to go when you heard a door opening from behind you. You overheard to scientists discussing what they were working on.

“The scepter is like nothing I’ve ever seen, sir. We still don’t know how to access it’s properties, our most brilliant minds cannot figure out how to use it to do what you want,” one man told the other.

“Nazi Germany figured out how to use the tesseract. You said they were similar,” the other man yelled at him. “If they could figure it out then, you should be able to too! With all the technology you have access to! Figure it out or you’re done.” The man left, and his bodyguard followed him. You focused on the bodyguard for a moment, he had chin length brown hair; his eyes were a gorgeous blue and something in them seemed to call out for help. As soon as you got a look at him he was gone, like a ghost. This left the first man who spoke to nervously look at the twins before hurrying off after them.

You returned to your body with a jolt, eyes suddenly opening and you looked around in panic. Loki was thrown off your lap in the process so he quickly moved to you, holding your arms to your sides in a tight hug. “It’s okay, I’m here. You’re fine.” Loki told you soothingly.

Eventually you relaxed in his arms and breathed deeply. “I know where we need to go,” you whispered. Loki was about to ask you for more information when Steve knocked on the open door.

“What did you do to her?” Steve asked Loki as he took in the sight in front of him, his tone threatening.

“I’m fine,” you assured him. You understood how this must look to him. You probably looked exhausted as you limply leaned against Loki, who was still holding you tightly. You pushed your hair out of your face so you could look at Steve as you spoke. “Looking for things magically is a little draining is all. Frigga hadn’t trained me in it before so I had no idea how much stress it would put on my body. Loki kept me from passing out.”

Steve still seemed a bit on edge as he came closer and helped you sit up properly, removing Loki’s arm’s and replacing them with one of his own. You could feel the annoyance burning off Loki so you turned your wrist to make sure Loki didn’t do anything rash. The glare he was burning into the side of Steve’s head moved to you. “I just came in to let you both know dinner was ready, if you guys wanted to yet.”

“That sounds great, doesn’t it Loki?” You said, turning to look at Loki, who was still very angry. You winced before looking back to Steve. “I could definitely use some food right now.”

Steve moved to help you up, but you stuck out your hand and your staff flew into your hand, lending you enough energy to stand up, it was radiating with concern. You silently thanked it and reassured it that you were fine. The three of you slowly walked out to the elevator and get on. You honestly couldn’t remember being in a more awkward and uncomfortable situation than this one. Steve wanted to protect you from Loki and Loki was angry that he couldn’t help the person he cared for because everyone was deeming him dangerous.

I’m sorry, you told Loki. He didn’t respond at first so you continued. So what I was trying to say before. I found the scepter. We need to go to Sokovia, the Seidrs got really close, this country is on the border between Asia and Europe. We’ll need to go there but in the dead of night, without the others knowing.

How are we going to convince them to let us take so much time without providing them any information? They don’t trust me whatsoever. Loki finally replies.

Leave that to me, I have a plan, you thought before the elevator opened up back on the tenth floor where everyone was sitting around with their food. Steve sat you down on the couch before going and fixing you and Loki each a plate of food.

They had just ordered delivery pizza with some sides, but it tasted amazing. You’d missed simple foods like this while you were on Asgard for the past few weeks. Loki, on the other hand, was closely observing the pizza slice like it was a science experiment. You looked over at Thor to see if he was similarly confused, but he was happily eating slice after slice. He was on his sixth slice it seemed based on the growing pile of crusts on the napkin he had.

“It’s fine Loki,” you said. “It’s just like bread with tomato, cheese, and meat.”

“I know what it is, it’s just disgusting.” He muttered back to you.

You looked him up and down before taking a big bite out of your slice. Loki looked like he was going to make some kind of retort, but Clint spoke up just then. “So Y/n, did your little séance help figure out where the scepter is?”

You snickered at his word choice before correcting him. “Well it wasn’t exactly a séance. We weren’t asking any ghosts where the scepter is. What we did was combine our Seidrs, or our energies, and sent them out to search for the energy the scepter discharges.”

“So you were essentially searching for radiation!” Bruce interrupts, his voice was laced with intrigue. “You can do that without any equipment?”

“Yes,” Loki answered. “How do you think things got done before your era of modern science? In the past our magic was your science.”

“He’s got you there, Banner,” Natasha joked.

“Anyway, we tried to searched out the energy radiation, but this is my first time trying something so draining with my seidr. I haven’t been learning long and I’m afraid I didn’t quite have enough energy to search it out just yet. I almost passed out actually. But I’m hoping if we try a few more times that I will be able to withstand it and find the scepter. I’m sorry about the delay.”

“That’s fine, we don’t want you to push yourself too hard and get you hurt,” Steve said. “Just knowing that you two will definitely be able to track it down is better than what we have managed to figure out.”

The rest of the dinner conversation was more casual. Natasha even asked Loki a few questions about Asgard. The fact that she was relaxing enough to talk to him amicably at all was a miracle, though you could sense that she was feel him out more.

After dinner Thor grabbed Loki and insisted they go to their room because he was tired. Loki tried to ignore him, but Thor all but threw Loki over his shoulder and walked back to the elevator, leaving you with Bruce, Natasha, Clint, and Steve.

“I think I’ll be heading to bed soon as well, trying to find the scepter took a lot out of me earlier.: You said as you floated your plate and napkin over to the trash can on the other side of the room.

“Let me walk you back,” Steve said. Natasha whistled jokingly and Steve rolled his eyes.

The two of you walked onto the elevator and as soon as the doors closed Steve turned to you. “I’m sorry about Nat, she can be a bit much at times. One of the world’s greatest assassins and she still acts like she is in middle school.”

You smiled at that. “Don’t worry about it, I can handle myself.” You found yourself already stepping off the elevator and were nearly in front of your door. “Well thanks for walking me back. Maybe another night we can start watching some Star Trek? You’ve got a lot of pop culture to catch up on.”

“I’d like that, goodnight Y/n,” Steve said as he turned around and walked back to the elevator before things could get awkward.

As much as you wanted to go to sleep, you knew you had one last thing to take care of tonight. You needed to borrow a relic from the New York Sanctum. You shut your door and locked it to make sure no one would notice you’d gone. You quietly opened a portal to the Sanctum and walked through. Within moments of your arrival the Ancient One appeared through the doors that led to Kamar-Taj, she could sense your arrival. She probably knew when you arrived back on Earth and was waiting for you to come to her.

“Welcome back Young Master,” she said to you. “What is it that you are looking for?”

“You know me too well,” you relied with a smile. “I need to borrow a relic, the Bands of Cyttorak.” The Ancient One didn’t say anything. She just tilted her head, urging you to continue. “I’ve brought Loki back with me, we need to find something. A cosmic entity has asked me to help prevent something terrible from happening. To do that we need to find the scepter. But I want to have a back up plan in case Loki tries to flee.”

“You’re a Master,” the Ancient One reminded you, “you’re always welcome to borrow an unclaimed relic as long as you’re a Master.” To a stranger, the words would have just been giving approval, but you understood her hidden meaning. She was warning you that you were in too deep already, that you were involved with something that could easily ruin everything you’d worked for. It was a warning.

“Thank you, I need to hurry back, but I’d love to have a longer conversation later when I return the relic.” You told her before hurrying off to go get the relic and returning to the remains of Stark Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter please leave a kudos or subscribe! I also love reading comments! Knowing what people are enjoying helps me to know what direction to take the story in when I get stuck and I love reading what people have to say!


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